Fire in Her Eyes
by The Queen of Heart
Summary: She had 'fire' in her eyes. She saved them, and half of the planet Earth. She was special. He knew her. It couldn't be. She was human. Or not? Meet the girl who saved the Doctor. A mystery in herself. No name, no memories but a face and two wonderful eyes. Set during season 3, Doctor/OC. First in the Fires of Gallifrey series.
1. Smith, Jones and Light-girl

**This is my first fiction in the Doctor Who fandom, so please be nice (can't you be nice?).**

**Thanks to my amazing beta aWeSoMeLuNaTiC **

**I do not own this spectacular, brillant, and fantastic show that is Doctor Who. If I did, Ten would never have regenerated. **

**Thank you for reading. **

* * *

Martha Jones was shaking her head slightly at the sound of the music, walking down Chancery Street. The song was soon cut over by the phone ringing. The tanned brunette picked it up, sighing. Even though she deeply loved her family, they were quite impossible to handle at times. Here was her sister, Tish, calling.

"You're up early! What's happening?"

"It's a nightmare, because Dad won't listen, and I'm telling you, Mum is going mental. Swear to God, Martha, this is epic. You've got to get in there and stop him."

"How do I do that?"

"Tell Dad he can't bring her!"

The phone rang again, indicating somebody else was trying to contact her, maybe some other member of her mad family. In fact, it was her brother, Leo.

"Hold on, that's Leo. I'll call you back."

She switched the call and picked up her brother's.

"Martha, if Mum and Dad start to kick off, tell them I don't even want a party. I didn't even ask for one. They can always give me money instead."

"Yeah, but why do I have to tell them? Why can't you?"

There was another ringtone.

"Hold on, that's Mum. I'll call you back."

She then answered her mum. This was driving them all crazy.

"I don't mind your father making a fool of himself in private, but this is Leo's 21st, everyone is going to be there, and the entire family is going to look ridiculous."

"Mum, it's a party. I can't stop Dad from bringing his girlfriend."

And again, she was cut off, her father this time calling her. "Hold on, that's Dad, I'll call you back."

"Oh!"

She heard the voice of the man and sighed heavily.

"Martha? Now, tell your mother, Leo is my son, and I'm paying for half the party. I'm entitled to bring who I like."

"I know, but think what it's going to look like for Mum, if you're standing there with Annalise."

"What's wrong with Annalise?"

"Is that Martha?" said a high-pitched feminine voice in the background. "Say hi! Hi, Martha, hi!"

That was Annalise.

"Hi, Annalise."

"Big kiss, lots of love, see you at the party, babe. Now take me shopping, big boy..."

Martha closed her phone and sighed. She almost shoved a tall man, with messy chestnut hair and deep, chocolate coloured eyes. He stood in front of her, and with a cheeky -cute"smile, took off his tie, looking right at her.

"Like so! See?"

Before she could say a single word, he ran off, his long brown coat floating behind him in the crowd. Puzzled, but a bit amused, she shook her head -people were going quite mad these days"and continued her walk towards the entrance of the Royal Hope Hospital. She jumped a bit, hearing thunder but there was nothing to declare. A man, dressed all in leather and wearing a black helmet, violently shoved her just when she was about to pass the doors of the hospital.

"Hey! Watch it, mate!" Said the young woman.

The man turned to look at her, and even if she couldn't see his eyes through the helmet, she felt a little shiver run down her spine. That was creepy. She finally followed him inside the hospital.

* * *

Martha opened her locker, jolting when she got an electrical shock. She quickly took off her coat, not bothering to explain this simple electrical reaction.

* * *

The group of medical students, following the lead of Mr. Stoker, approached the bed of a patient. Her name was Florence Finnegan.

"I was all right till this morning," said the quite old lady, "And then, I don't know, I woke up and I felt all dizzy again. It was worse than when I came in."

"Pulse is slightly thready. Well, let's see what Britain's finest might suggest. Any ideas, Morgenstern?"

A student jumped at the call of his name and quickly came with a proposition, "Dizziness can be a sign of early onset diabetes."

"Hardly early onset, if you'll forgive me, Miss Finnegan," mucked the man. "Any more ideas? Swales?"

"Um... could recommend a CT scan." answered a woman, just beside Martha.

"And spend all our money?" His eyes turned to Martha. "Jones?"

"We could take bloods and check for Meniere's disease."

"Or we could simply ask the patient. What did you have for dinner last night?"

"I had salad."

"And the night before?"

"Salad, again."

"And salad every night for the past week, contrary to my instructions. Salt deficiency, that's what. Simple, honest salt."

The group once again started to move through the corridors. "Hippocrates himself expounded on the virtues of salt. Recommended the inhalation of steam from sea water" Mr. Stoker pressed on. "Though no doubt if he'd been afflicted with my students, results might have been rather more colourful".

Two men, much like the one who had shoved past her at the entrance, exited the lift just as the students were moving into another ward. They stopped in front of the bed of a woman.

The comatose. She had been in here since Martha's arrival in the hospital. Every week, the group would check her chart to find new ideas of what to do. And she was always sleeping. Rumors in the ward said that she had woken up a few times, to expulse people from her bedside. She had light in her eyes. But nobody believed these stories. The woman was in a profound coma and that was it.

Swales took charge of it, as always. Martha sighed, eyeing the long dark hair, the pale skin. The only signs of life were the slight rising of the woman's chest and the sharp beeping of the electrocardiograph. As usual, there was no news. Martha touched the woman's hand softly, feeling the icy flesh. But suddenly, the hand tightened around Martha's. The student gasped and stepped back, earning a puzzled look from the others. They all exited the room after a few more seconds of contemplation.

"Now then, Mr. Smith, a very good morning to you. How are you today?"

"Aw, not so bad, still a bit, you know. Blah."

Martha looked at the man with wide eyes. That was the cute one from this morning. He was now lying in his bed, calmly, in pyjamas.

"John Smith, admitted yesterday with severe abdominal pains. Jones, why don't you see what you can find? Amaze me."

The girl stepped near the man and, pulling out her stethoscope, gently started to examine him.

"That wasn't very clever, running around outside, was it?"

"Sorry?"

"On Chancery Street this morning. You came up to me and took your tie off."

"Really? What did I do that for?"

"I don't know, you just did."

"Not me. I was here, in bed. Ask the nurses."

"Well, that's weird because he looked exactly like you. Have you got a brother?"

"No, not anymore. Just me."

"As time passes I grow even more infirm and weary, Miss Jones," Mr. Stroker interjected.

"Sorry. Right."

She put her stethoscope to the man's chest. A beating heart. She smiled before freezing. There was another sound, another beat. She moved her tool to the other side of his chest, guided by the noise. Another beat. Another heart. She looked at him, puzzled. What the Hell was that? He winked at her.

"I weep for further generations. Are you having trouble locating the heart, Miss Jones?"

"Um. I don't know... Stomach cramps?"

"That is a symptom, not a diagnosis. And you rather failed basic techniques by not consulting first with the patient's chart."

He picked up the chart, receiving an electric shock, like the one she had felt in the morning.

"That happened to me this morning..."

"I had the same thing on the door handle," added Morgenstern.

"And me, on the lift," said Swales.

"That's only to be expected," explained Mr. Stoker. "There's a thunderstorm moving in and lightning is a form of static electricity, as was first proven by -anyone?"

He turned to his students. But the one who answered was Mr. Smith. "Benjamin Franklin."

"Correct!" Said Stoker, who looked impressed.

"My mate Ben, that was a day and a half. I got rope burns off that kite, and then I got soaked..."

"Quite..."

Everyone was beginning to think this man was quite delusional.

"… And then I got electrocuted."

"Moving on. I think perhaps a visit from a psychiatrist..." he added to one of his students. "And next, we have..."

The group exited the room. The man sighed and chuckled.

* * *

The woman shivered. The nurses didn't noticed the sudden clench of her fists nor the jolt of her body. They continued to talk

* * *

Martha was back on the phone with her sister. She had just had her lunch break and yet every last minute was spent dealing with this infernal party.

"No, listen. I've worked out a plan. We tell Annalise that the buffet is one hundred percent carbohydrate, and she won't turn up."

"I wish you'd take this seriously. That's our inheritance she's spending. On fake tan. Tell you what, I'm not that far away, I'll drop by for a sandwich and we can draw a plan."

"In this weather?" Asked the student, looking at the torrential rain by the window. "I'm not going out, it's pouring down."

"It's not raining here..." There was a pause. "That's weird. It's sitting right on the top of you, I can see it, but it's dry where I am."

"Well, you just got lucky."

"No, but it's like in cartoons, you know, when a man's got a cloud over his head."

"But listen, I tell you what we'll do-" She stopped when she caught the man with the stomach cramps, in his dressing gown, sneaking in the corridor by the door of the restroom. He took a glance inside it, not noticing her pointed look and continued on his way. "We tell Dad and Annalise to get there early, for about 7:30, for Leo to do his birthday stuff. We tell Mum to come about 8:30 or nine, and that gives me time to have a word with Annalise, and –"

She was cut off by Swales this time, who squeezed her arm, looking out the window, a puzzled look on her face.

"What?"

"The rain."

"It's only rain."

"Martha!" Said Tish by the phone. "Have you seen the rain?"

"Why's everyone fussing about rain?"

"It's going up." Answered Swales.

"The rain is going up," came her sister.

Martha looked and was astonished. The rain was going up! Suddenly, the building shook. The young woman fell down, quickly followed by her colleague and approximately all the things that were stood on the counters and in the cupboards.

* * *

She opened her eyes with a snap. Eyes of light. The gold glow was almost blinding.

"Who left the lights on?" Sighed a nurse before gasping. She quickly realized that it was coming from HER. The previously comatose woman. She was awake.

* * *

"What in Hell was that?" Martha asked when the shaking finally stopped.

"Are you all right?"

"I think so, yeah. It felt like an earthquake, or –"

"Martha? It's night. It was lunchtime."

"It's not night."

"It's got to be. It's dark."

"We're on the moon."

"We can't be."

"We're on the moon. We're on the bloody moon!"

And they were. The whole hospital had been transported onto the satellite. The patients, the nurses and doctors, everyone started to panic when they realized where they were. Martha ran out of the restroom to the sight of people running and screaming. Through the window, she took a glimpse of Earth, above the horizon. It was beautiful. She stopped her observation to carry on walking through the corridors.

"Have you seen –?"

"I'm sorry, I can't."

She passed Florence Finnegan. Back in the ward where she had seen John Smith, she started to comfort the patients.

"All right, everyone back to bed, we've got an emergency but we'll sort it out." She heard the curtains of a bed sliding but didn't focus on that, stepping to the window, followed by Swales who was slightly shaking.

"It's real. It's really real. Hold on." Martha reached for the window-latch to open it.

"Don't! We'll lose all the air!" Sobbed Swales.

"But they're not exactly air tight. If the air was going to get sucked out it would have happened straight away, but it didn't. So how come?"

"Very good point!" Exclaimed the Smith man, now fully dressed in a blue suit, making the young woman jump. "Brilliant, in fact. What was your name?"

"Martha."

"And it was Jones, wasn't it?"

She nodded. How could he be standing here if he had stomach cramps? How could he have been wandering around during the lunch break? How could he have been in Chancery Street this morning? How could he have two hearts? Who was this man?

"Well then, Martha Jones, the question is, how are we still breathing?"

"We can't be!" Cried Swales.

"Obviously we are so don't waste my time," snapped the man. "Martha, what have we got? Is there a balcony on this floor, or a veranda, or...?"

"By the patients' lounge, yeah."

"Fancy going out?" The cheeky grin had come back.

"Okay."

"We might die."

"We might not."

His smile widened even more.

"Good! C'mon. Not her, she'd hold us up."

The left, leaving the sobbing Swales behind them. They quickly walked the floor, past the patients' lounge and pushing the doors open, onto the balcony, revealing the land of lit up by the earthlight.

"We've got air! How does that work?"

"Just be glad it does," said Smith.

I've got a party tonight, thought Martha. It's my brother's twenty-first. My mother's going to be really... really...

"You okay?"

"Yeah."

"Sure?" Added the man, concern in his voice.

"Yeah."

"Want to go back in?"

"No way. I mean, we could die any minute, but all the same – it's beautiful."

"You think?"

"How many people want to go to the moon? And here we are!"

"Standing in the earthlight."

"What do you think happened?"

"What do YOU think?"

"Extraterrestrial. It's got to be. I don't know, a few years ago that would have sounded mad, but these days? That spaceship flying into Big Ben – Christmas – those Cybermen things. I had a cousin. Adeola. She worked at Canary Wharf. She never came home."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah."

"I was there. In the battle."

He seemed suddenly sad, so sad. Like he had lost someone on this day, too. Someone important.

"I promise you, Mr. Smith, we will find a way out. If we can travel to the moon, then we can travel back. There's got to be a way."

"It's not Smith, that's not my real name."

"Who are you, then?"

"I'm the Doctor."

The Doctor? Never heard about him.

"Me too, if I can pass my exams," she sardonically. "What is it, then, Doctor Smith?"

"Just the Doctor."

He seemed so serious.

"How do you mean, just the Doctor?"

"Just... the Doctor."

"What, people call you 'the Doctor'?"

He had this grin again, the one that succeeded to be mad, genuine and cute at the same time.

"Yeah."

"Well, I'm not. As far as I'm concerned, you've got to earn that title." She was battling hard to become a practician and this man was coming, claiming to be 'The Doctor', with all the majuscules in his voice.

"Well, I'd better make a start, then," he joked. "Let's have a look."

He picked something from the floor and threw it away. The pebble violently stopped in mid-air, with a loud 'bump' and revealing a blue dome.

"There must be some sort of force field keeping the air in."

"If it's like a bubble sealing us in, that means this is the only air we've got. What happens when it runs out?"

"How many people in this hospital?"

"I don't know, a thousand," answered Martha, a bit puzzled by the question.

"One thousand people. Suffocating."

"Why would anyone do that?"

"Head's up! Ask them yourself."

Martha followed the man's advice and gasped when she saw the three huge spaceships. Aliens. Even if she was already almost sure it was that, seeing it in real was quite a shock.

"Aliens. That's aliens. Real, proper aliens."

"Judoon, said the man."

* * *

The man and Martha were watching the rhino-guys marking the humans, from the mezzanine level, hidden behind a few potted plants.

"Oh, look down there, you've got a little shop," he beamed, earning another look from Martha. "I like a little shop."

"Never mind that! What are Judoon?"

"Galactical police. Well, police for hire. More like interplanetary thugs."

"And they brought us to the moon."

"Neutral territory," said Smith, not bothered to explain. "According to galactic law, they've got no jurisdiction over the Earth, and they isolated us. That rain? Lightning? That was them, using an H2O scoop."

"What's that about 'galactic law'? Where'd you get that from? If they're police, are we under arrest? Are we trespassing on the moon or something?"

"No. But I like that. Good thinking," he smiled. "No, it's much simpler. They're making a catalogue, it means they're after something non-human, which is very bad news for me."

"Why?"

He gave her a pointed look. No... No way...

"Oh you're kidding me."

He rose an eyebrow. It was impossible! He looked perfectly human! Despite the two hearts.

"Don't be ridiculous. Stop looking at me like that."

"Come on, then."

They ran out.

* * *

"There is something..." she whispered. "Somebody... "

* * *

Martha came into a room, seeing the man flashing a weird-looking device to a computer.

"They've reached third floor, she warned. What's that thing?"

"Sonic screwdriver."

"Well, if you're not going to answer me properly!"

"No, really, it is. It's a screwdriver, and it's sonic. Look."

He showed her the tool. She frowned.

"What else have you got? A laser spanner?" She added, sarcastic.

"I did but it was stolen by Emily Pankhurst, cheeky woman. Oh, this computer!" He said, hitting the object. "The Judoon must have locked it down. Judoon platoon upon the moon. Cause I was just travelling past, I swear, I was just wandering, I wasn't looking for trouble, honestly, I wasn't, but I noticed these plasma coils around the hospital, and that lightning, that's plasma coils, been building up for two days now, so I checked in, I thought something was going on inside, it turned out the plasma coils were the Judoon up above."

It took a few seconds at Martha to understand his whole speech. God, he could talk fast!

"But what were they looking for?"

"Something that looks human, but isn't."

"Like you. Apparently."

"Like me. But not me."

"Haven't they got a photo?"

"Might be a shape-changer."

"Whatever it is, can't you just leave the Judoon to find it?"

"If they declare the hospital guilty of harboring a fugitive, they'll sentence it to execution."

"All of us?"

"Oh yes. If I can find this thing first... Oh! Just that they're thick! Judoon are thick! They are completely thick! They wiped the records. Oh, that's clever."

"What are we looking for?"

"I don't know. Any patient admitted in the past week with unusual symptoms. Maybe there's a back-up."

"Just keep working. I'll go ask Mr. Stoker, he might know."

She left the doctor man alone with his thoughts.

* * *

"I have to find it," she said, moving to get out her bed.

"Miss, you have to rest. You've just woken up from a severe coma. You can't go wandering around. It's a miracle, you're just able to talk like this."

The woman turned her head to the nurse who had just spoken. She stood up. Her eyes were blinding, scaring the hell of the medical personal.

"I have to find it."

She held up her hand, touching the arm of the nurse who screamed. It was hot. It burned. The woman stepped out the room, leaving only ashes behind her.

* * *

Martha knocked at Mr. Stoker's office before entering without waiting for an answer.

"Mr. Stoker!"

She gasped, spotting the man's feet sticking out from behind the desk. She quickly noticed the leathered and helmeted blokes from the morning. And Florence Finnegan arose from where Mr. Stoker was lying, a blood-tinted straw in hand. The student ran, as fast as she could, hearing the death sentence exiting the elderly's mouth.

She practically threw the Doctor to the floor by bumping into him. He seemed quite satisfied with himself.

"I've restored the back-up," he said proudly.

"I found her," she responded, out of breath.

"You what?"

The two blokes turned at the corner and the man took his hand before pulling her after him.

"Run!"

They ran for their lives, dodging Judoon and skidded into the radiology room. Martha was, strangely, elated. She could feel adrenaline running through her, making her want to laugh at the thrill. The man closed the door and locked it.

"When I say 'now', press the button."

"I don't know which one!"

"Find out!"

He started to do something on the X-Ray machinery with his sonic screwdriver. Martha searched found the Operator's Manual, scanning through it. Suddenly, their stalker broke down the door.

"Now!"

The radiations zapped them both, the man falling inert as the Doctor stood, all right.

"What did you do?"

"Increased the radiation by five thousand per cent. Killed him dead."

"Isn't that likely to kill you?" She asked, concern easily discernable in her voice.

"Nah, its only radiation. We used to play with roentgen bricks in the nursery. It's safe for you to come out, I've absorbed it all. All I need to do is expel it."

He started to bounce and hop. The woman couldn't help but compare him to a big, brown, mad rabbit.

"If I concentrate I can shake the radiation out of my body and into one spot. It's in my left shoe. Here we go, here we go, easy does it..."

He shook his left foot, carrying on his babbling.

"Out, out, out, out, out. Out, out, ah, ah, ah. It is, it is, it is, it is, it is hot. Ah – hold on."

He threw his shoe into the dustbin, before grinning at her.

"Done."

"You're completely mad."

He seemed to take that as a compliment.

"Right. I look daft with one shoe."

He removed and discarded the other one.

"Barefoot on the moon!" He said, wriggling his toes.

Martha went to the man on the floor.

"So what is that thing? And where's it from? The planet Zovirax?"

Her sarcasm was clear to everyone who could have been listening, anyone but the Doctor.

"It's just a Slab. They're called 'Slabs'. Basic slave drones, see? Solid leather, all the way through. Someone's got one hell of a fetish."

"It came with that woman, Mrs. Finnegan. It was working for her. Just like a servant."

But the man didn't seemed bothered by anything but the remaining of his sonic screwdriver.

"My sonic screwdriver!"

"She was one the patients, but-"

"My sonic screwdriver!"

"She had a straw like some kind of vampire."

"I loved my sonic screwdriver."

There was a sadness in his voice.

"Doctor!"

"Sorry."

He tossed the device away and smiled brightly.

"You called me 'Doctor'."

"Anyway!" She said, exasperatedly. "Miss Finnegan is the alien. She was drinking Mr. Stoker's blood."

"Funny time to take a snack. You'd think she'd be hiding. Unless – no. Yes, that's it, wait a minute. Yes! Shape-changer. Internal shape-changer. She wasn't drinking blood, she was assimilating it. If she can assimilate Mr. Stoker's blood, mimic the morphology, she can register as human. We've got to find her and show the Judoon. Come on!"

He ran away, her following quickly.

* * *

The woman stood in front of a Judoon who flashed the blue light to her face. She frowned.

"Human."

"Light. It hurts. I have to find it."

She touched the alien and it screamed, burned. She stepped on, over the ashes.

* * *

Martha and The Doctor were hiding behind a water cooler, dodging a Slab.

"That's the thing about Slabs. They always travel in pairs."

"What about you?"

He looked at her with huge, surprised eyes.

"What about me what?"

"Haven't you got back-up? You must have a partner or something?"

Deep sadness and pain showed in his gaze. He tossed it away by commenting negatively on her people.

"Uh. Humans. We're stuck on the moon running out of air with Judoon and a bloodsucking criminal, you're asking personal questions. Come on."

"I like that. Humans. I'm still not convinced you're an alien."

They stepped in front of a Judoon, who shined the light at the Doctor.

"Non-human"

"Oh my God, you really are!"

"And again!"

They ran, Judoon shooting after them. They climbed up the stairs, managing to lock a door, ending in a corridor where people were gasping for breath, falling to the ground.

"They've done this floor. Come on. The Judoon are logical and just a little bit thick. They won't go back to check a floor they've checked already. If we're lucky."

Martha stopped by Swales, asked her a few questions about the oxygen still left.

"How are you feeling?" The Doctor asked Martha. "Are you all right?"

"I'm running on adrenaline," she responded with a wide grin.

"Welcome to my world," he chuckled.

"What about the Judoon?"

"Ah, big great lung reserve, it won't slow them down. Where's Mr. Stoker's office?"

"It's this way."

They didn't hear, or didn't focused on, the scream of pain of another nurse who stood in the woman's way. And entered the office.

"She's gone! She was here!"

The Doctor examined Mr. Stoker.

"Drained him dry. Every last drop. I was right. She's a plasmavore."

"What was she doing on Earth?"

"Hiding. On the run. Like Ronald Biggs in Rio de Janeiro. What's she doing now? She's still not safe. The Judoon could execute us all. Come on."

"Wait a minute."

She pulled the dead man's eyes shut before leaving with the Doctor.

"Think, think, think. If I was a plasmavore surrounded by police, what would I do?"

He looked at the MRI sign on the corridor's wall.

"Ah. She's as clever as me. Almost."

The sinister voice of the Judoon resounded a few steps away.

"Find the non-human. Execute."

"Stay here. I need time. You're going to have to hold them up."

"How do I do that?"

He took a deep breath and looked at her in the eyes.

"Martha, forgive me for this. It's to save a thousand lives, it means nothing. Honestly, nothing."

He kissed her, making her heart flutter. He pulled away and ran off.

"That was nothing?"

She shivered slightly when she heard a scream. They were supposed to kill nobody! The Judoon walked into the corridor, seeing Martha standing there, waiting for them.

"Find the non-human. Execute."

"Now, listen. I know who you're looking for. She's this woman. She calls herself Florence."

"Human," it said, after scanning her. "With non-human traits suspected. Non-human element confirmed. Authorize fill scan. What are you? What are you?"

He finally made a cross on Martha's hand.

"Confirmed: human. Traces of facial contact with non-human. Continue the search. You will need this," it added, "handing her a slip of paper."

"What's that for?"

"Compensation."

* * *

The woman was now near the room. She felt it, so close.

"I have to find it."

* * *

Martha slid into the MRI room after the Judoon. She saw the Doctor lying on the floor and the rhino flashing a light at him.

"Confirmation: deceased."

"No, he can't be! Let me through, let me see him!"

She didn't know why she felt so bad and painful for the death of a man she barely knew.

"Stop. Case closed."

"But it was her. She killed him. She did it. She murdered him."

"The Judoon have no authority over human crime."

"But she's not human!"

"Oh, but I am," said the shape-changer with a self-satisfied smile. "I've been catalogued."

"But she's not! She assimil- Wait a minute. You drank his blood. The Doctor's blood."

She realized all it and grabbed a Judoon scanner. He had given his life so the alien could be discovered and arrested.

"Oh, all right. Scan all you like."

"Non-human."

"What?"

"Confirm analysis."

"Oh, but it's a mistake, surely. I'm human. I'm as human as they come."

"He gave his life so they'd find you."

"Confirmed: Plasmavore. I charge you with the crime of murdering the princess of Patrival Regency Nine."

"She deserved it! Those pink cheeks and those blond curls and that simpering voice. She was begging for the bite of a plasmavore."

* * *

"Plasmavore... Not the right one. Right one. Not dead. Gonna be alive again. Must be. Not the last. Not the last. I have to find it, I have to find... to find... him.

* * *

Martha's eyes widened when she saw some kind of girl, entering the room, burning the door down. The stranger had long dark hair, a pale complexion and... light in her eyes. This was the comatose. The woman held up her hand to the Judoon, who strangely stepped back.

"Human female is a criminal. Crime: Physical assault and murder on a Judoon. Verdict: guilty. Sentence: Execution."

"No!"

The rhino shot at the comatose who just looked at him – at least, as far as Martha could tell because with the glow, it really couldn't know. The flash stopped about a meter from her. Everyone in the room, Judoon included, gasped in surprise. That wasn't possible. She should be dead.

"I have to find him. I need him."

She looked down at The Doctor who was still lying on the floor, unconscious. The Judoon units withdrew, leaving the humans to deal with a dead Time Lord and a MRI with magnetic overload that could exterminate a half of Earth's inhabitants and all of those present on the Moon.

"Last of your kind. You're not. You're not. You're not."

The words coming from the girl's throat seemed absolutely senseless. Martha shoved past her to the Doctor and started pulmonary resuscitation techniques. The blonde looked at her and raised her hand, touching the machinery which beeped before letting out a little cloud of smoke.

"What have you done?"

"I saved."

"Why?"

"I need him."

The Doctor suddenly woke up, making Martha startle. The girl fixed her glowing gaze on him. He looked up and saw the concern in the student's eyes so he waved a bit, with that cheeky smile of his to show her he was fine. Well not so fine, according to the bit of pain in his chest, but it wasn't every day that he died. He didn't seem to notice the girl standing beside the burnt MRI because at that moment, Martha started to choke from the lack of air.

"Come on, come on, come on. Come on, Judoon, reverse it."

He smiled, seeing the rain fall from the sky.

"It's raining, Martha. It's raining on the moon."

There was another 'earthquake'. They were back on Earth. He sighed. Then, a long and painful whimper caught his ear and he finally focused on the girl who had truly saved them all. He gasped a bit, eyeing the light coming out of her. What the Hell was she?

"Are you all right?"

"It's burning me... It's burning me..."

She suddenly fell to the ground, as if she couldn't stand any longer. Her body jerked and writhed, under a huge amount of pain, a cloud of gold flare escaping her lips. The Doctor crouched down to try and comfort her but her eyeballs rolled back and she stiffened, shivering slightly at first before becoming completely still. He took off his stethoscope and checked for a pulse. She was alive. Barely but alive.

"Woman down in there!" Shouted someone from outside the room.

An ambulance-man stepped in, quickly followed by a few others. Martha got back with them but The Doctor didn't want the mystery girl being taken care of by humans. He held up his psychic paper.

"Dr. Smith. Specialist in fainting... I don't even know if that exists. Anyway, I'm taking care of her, you can go help the people who need you. Thank you for your concern."

The men stepped back and headed away, slightly puzzled. The Doctor remained alone with the glowing girl.

* * *

Martha sat on the edge of a trunk, thoughtful. Who was this Doctor, really? He was disturbing her with all his scientifico-extraterrestrial babbbling. And his cute grin, his kiss... If that was nothing... Maybe for him but she was too flustered to ignore the effect on her...

"Martha!"

She jumped as her sister called her name, running towards her.

"Oh, God! I thought you were dead! What happened? It was so weird, because the police wouldn't say, they didn't have a clue. And I tried phoning, but I couldn't get through. Mum's on her way, but she couldn't get through, they've closed off all the roads."

But she wasn't listening to Tish's concerned voice. She was watching the long and skinny shape of a man, carrying a woman in his arms walking calmly towards a blue police phone box. The Doctor. He turned his head, feeling her gaze upon him, and grinned at Martha, who smiled back. She recognized the woman. The comatose. He was taking her with him, and nobody was paying attention to them. She stared at the box until a truck went by. When it had passed, there was nothing where the box used to stand.

"There's thousands of people trying to get in, the whole city's come to a halt, and Dad phoned, cause it's on the news and everything, he was crying. It's been a mess, and what happened? I mean, what really happened? Where were you?"

Far. So far away. She heard the last traces of a humming in the air and couldn't help but smile sadly. He was gone.

* * *

"I am not prepared to be insulted!" Yelled Annalise as she stormed out of the pub Leo was having in birthday party.

"She didn't mean it, sweetheart. She just said you look healthy," tried to temperate Clive, Martha's father.

"No, I did not. I said orange."

Francine Jones had just stepped out of the pub, following her ex-husband and his girlfriend. Martha was on her heels, assuming the role of mediator, as always.

"Clive, that woman is disrespecting me. She's never liked me."

"Oh, I can't think why, after you stole my husband," snapped back Martha's mother.

"I was seduced. I'm entirely innocent! Tell her, Clive!"

"And then she has a go at Martha, practically accused her of making the whole thing up."

"Mum, I don't mind. Just leave it," tried Martha.

"Oh. 'I've been to the moon!' As if. They were drugged. It said so on the news."

"Since when did you watch the news? You can't handle Quiz Mania."

"Annalise started it. She did. I heard her."

Martha looked behind her to see that the whole Jones family was now outside.

"Trish, don't make it worse."

"You're talking, Leo. What did she buy you, soap? A seventy-five pence soap?"

"Oh, I'm never talking to your family again!"

Annalise stormed off, her heels making her walk in a quite inelegant way.

"Oh, stay. Have a night out." The sarcasm in Francine's voice was quite evident.

"Don't you dare. I'm putting my foot down. This is me, putting my foot down." As his try didn't work, Clive went chasing after the blonde woman.

"Dad!"

"Make a fool of yourself! God knows, you've been doing it for the last twenty-five years! Why stop now?"

"Mum, don't!" said Tish, following her mother back inside. "I asked the DJ and he's playing that song later –"

Martha didn't go back, as she had a good reason to stay out. The Doctor had been standing on the corner, watching the scene take place with an amused smile. She blushed slightly. Her family had been making quite a fool of themselves and that in front of him. She was about to speak when he gave her a little 'follow me' look before disappearing around the building.

She found him leaning against the blue box's side, his now highly recognizable grin on his face, waiting for her.

"I went to the moon today."

"A bit more peaceful than down here."

"You never even told be who you are."

"The Doctor."

"What sort of species? It's not every day I get to ask that."

She thought it would make him smile but he stared at her with a sad look in his dark eyes.

"I'm a Time Lord."

"Right! Not pompous at all, then."

"I just thought since you saved my life and I've got a brand new sonic screwdriver which needs road testing, you might fancy a trip."

She didn't focus on the change of subject but rather, on the proposition he had just made to her.

"What, into space?" Martha asked, her excitement spiking up.

But then she deflated. She couldn't go like that, leaving everything behind; her family, her studies...

"I can't. I've got exams. I've got things to do. I have to go into town first thing and pay the rent, I've got my family going mad..."

"If it helps, I can travel in time, as well."

"Get out of here."

She didn't believed him for a second. That was impossible! Yes, she had gone to the moon, seen aliens, and not to mention, been kissed by one, the one who was now standing in front of her and proposing her to go with him see the stars inside a little blue box, but travel through time?

"I can."

"Come on now, that's going too far."

"I'll prove it."

He went inside the box. The humming she had heard earlier started and the cabin disappeared in front of her very eyes. She waved her hand in the spot where it had been. That wasn't a trick... And if... And if it was all true? The box reappeared, The Doctor inside it. He stepped out, holding his tie in his hand, the tie from the morning. Her eyes widened.

"Told you!"

"I know, but... that was this morning! But – Did you... Oh, my God! You can travel in time!"

He put his tie on again, sparks of joy in his gaze.

"But hold on, if you could see me this morning, why didn't you tell me not to go to work."

"Crossing into established events is forbidden. Except for cheap tricks."

"And that's your spaceship?"

"It's called the TARDIS. Time And Relative Dimension In Space."

"Your spaceship's made of wood..."

Then a thought came to her. Him and her. In a small wooden box?

"There's not much room. We'd be a bit intimate."

"Take a look," he said with a knowing smile, pushing the door open.

Martha stepped in, followed by The Doctor, she looked around and ran out.

"Oh, no, no. But it's just a box. But it's huge. How does it do that? It's wood. It's like a box with that room just rammed in. It's bigger on the inside!"

"Is it?" The Doctor asked sarcastically, after mouthing the last sentence with her. "I hadn't noticed."

He shut the door behind her and threw his coat on one of the Y-beams.

"All right, then, let's get going."

"But is there a crew? Like a navigator and stuff? Where is everyone?"

"Just me."

There was a certain type of sadness in his voice.

"All on your own."

"Well, sometimes I have guests. I mean some friends, travelling alongside. I had- there was recently a friend of mine. Rose, her name was. Rose. And... we were together. Anyway."

It seemed quite a bad subject for now.

"Where is she now?"

"With her family. Happy. She's fine. Not that you're replacing her."

"Never said I was."

She just had this feeling. Like a rebound.

"Just one trip to say 'thanks', you get one trip, then back home. I'd rather be on my own."

"You're the one that kissed me."

"That was a genetic transfer."

"And if you will wear a tight suit..."

"Now... don't!"

He seemed bothered but she continued teasing him. Or wasn't it just teasing?

"And then travel all the way across the Universe just to ask me on a date..."

"Stop it."

"For the record? I'm not remotely interested. I only go for humans."

"Good."

He didn't frown, didn't wince, nothing. Martha thought he had liked her but maybe she thought wrong.

"And the girl from today. The comatose who's really awake and has light in her eyes? Where did you take her? Alien hospital?"

"Kind of. She's in a room the TARDIS specially created for her. Safe. She will take care of her until she wakes up."

"But she doesn't have any family to warn?"

"You tell me! I wasn't working around her!"

"Nobody ever came for her. Ever. She was lying here, no changes, nothing. I always wanted to see what she looks like, awake. What her eyes look like. Because she seem so beautiful..."

"We'll see that in a while."

"Right."

"Well, then. Close down the gravitic anomalizer. Fire up the helmic regulator," he said it as he did it. "And finally-the hand brake. Ready?"

"No!"

"Off we go."

The crazy grin was back, the jolts made his eyes sparkle and his hair were messier than ever. But she didn't noticed. It was a little bit...

"Blimey, it's a bit bumpy."

"Welcome aboard, Miss Jones."

He reached her hand and shook it. They laughed.

"It's my pleasure, Mr. Smith."


	2. The Shakespeare Code

**Hi, everyone, here is the second chapter of my fiction Fire in Her Eyes. **

**If you want to be aware of updates of to see my OC's outfits, just go on my tumblr ! The link is on my profile ! **

**Enjoy your chap! And don't forget to review!**

**P.S. : Thanks to my amazing beta aWeSoMeLuNaTiC. **

* * *

Martha held on to the console as the TARDIS was travelling through the Vortex. She was desperately trying to remain steady through the jolts from the time machine.

"But how do you travel in time? What makes it go?

"Oh, let's take the fun and mystery out of everything. Martha, you don't wanna know. It just does. Hold on tight!"

He practically climbed on the console, pushing levers. The girl was knocked to the floor and he fell too. He stayed a moment on the floor, chuckling.

"Blimey! Do you have to pass a test to fly this thing?"

"Yes, and I failed it."

He grabbed his coat which was on one of the Y-beams. He took her jacket in his hands and threw it to her.

"Now, make the most of it. I promised you one trip and one trip only. Outside this door..."

He stopped at the door and faced her, his cheeky grin on, ready to laugh at her stupefaction. He, of course, knew where they had landed.

"Brave new world."

"Where are we?

"Take a look."

He opened the door and let her go first.

"After you"

Cute, crazy and a gentleman... Martha had a little smile. She liked him. She had liked him since she first saw him, but after the kiss he had given her… It made her heart flutter just thinking about it. He was one hell of a kisser! She stepped out and walked onto a street. It was nighttime, people were milling around, seeming not to notice them and their police phone box... That was insane!

"Oh, you are kidding me. You are so kidding me. Oh, my God! We did it. We travelled in time. Where are we?"

Her excited smile widened, "No, sorry. I gotta get used to this, whole new language. When are we?"

He grinned before looking up and pulling her back. From the first floor window, a man dumped the contents of a bucket.

"Mind the loo!"

"Somewhere before the invention of the toilet. Sorry about that."

"I've seen worse. I've worked the late night shift at A&E."

He started to walk away, thinking that she was following but she stood there, before calling out, "But are we safe? I mean, can we move around and stuff?"

"Of course we can. Why do you ask?"

He looked slightly confused.

"It's like in the films. You step on a butterfly you change the future of the human race."

"Well, tell you what then, don't step on any butterflies. What have butterflies ever done to you?"

They continued walking through the street but Martha had still a lot of questions for him. And still he didn't seemed bothered to answer...

"What if, I dunno, what if I kill my grandfather?" "

You planning to?"

"No…"

"Well, then." It was quite frustrating, his way of always having the last word in a conversation.

"This is London," she thought aloud.

"I think so. Right about 1599."

"Oh, but hold on," she said, something crossing her mind. "Am I all right? I'm not gonna get carted off as a slave, am I?"

"Why would they do that?" He asked back, a genuine surprise in his voice.

"Not exactly white, in case you haven't noticed..." She sighed. He seemed to be quite in the clouds sometimes.

"I'm not even human. Just walk about like you own the place. Works for me. Besides, you'd be surprised. Elizabethan England, not so different from your time. Look over there." He pointed a man shoveling manure. "They've got recycling. Water cooler moment." They saw two men conversing at a water barrel. They walked past someone preaching about the end of the world. "… and the world will be consumed by flames!"

"Global warming. Oh, yes, and... Entertainment! Popular entertainment for the masses. If I'm right, we're just down the river by Southwark, right next to..."

They ran around a corner, her hand in his.

"Oh, yes, the Globe Theatre! Brand new," he carried on, not noticing the stunned look on Martha's face. "Just opened. Through, strictly speaking, it's not a globe it's a tetradecagon, 14 sides, containing, the man himself."

"Whoa, you don't mean... is Shakespeare in there?"

"Oh, yes." He held out his arm, for her to take it, which she did, smiling. "Miss Jones, will you accompany me to the theater?"

"Yes, Mr. Smith, I will."

"When you get home, you can tell everyone you've seen Shakespeare."

"Then I could get sanctioned!"

With an excited squeal from Martha, they were off.

* * *

They were standing in the crowd, cheering among the others, exalted by the end of the play and the atmosphere.

"That's amazing! Just amazing. It's worth putting up with the smell. And those are men dressed as women, yeah?" Martha gestured to the 'women' on the stage.

"London never changes," The Doctor joked.

"Where's Shakespeare? I wanna see Shakespeare." With that, she started to chant, holding her fist in the air, "Author! Author!" She stopped, as The Doctor was looking at her. "Do people shout that? Do they shout 'Author'?"

A man near of them picked up the chant and in a few seconds, the whole theater was shouting that. The Doctor chuckled, looking around.

"Well... they do now."

Shakespeare came out to loud cheers and bowed exuberantly, blowing kisses to his audience.

"He's a bit different from his portraits."

"Genius!" said The Doctor, not noticing the appreciative whisper from Martha. "He's a genius – THE genius. The most human human that's ever been. Now we're gonna hear him speak. Always, he chooses the best words. New, beautiful, brilliant words."

"Shut your big fat mouths! Yelled the author, making the audience laugh and The Doctor pout in disappointment.

"Oh, well."

"You should never meet you heroes," remarked Martha.

"You have excellent taste! I'll give you that," started Shakespeare. "Oh, that's a wig!" He said, pointing a man in the crowd, being rewarded with more laughter. "I know what you're all saying, 'Love's Labour's Lost', that's a funny ending, isn't it? It just stops! Will the boys get the girls? Well, don't get your hose in a tangle, you'll find out soon. Yeah, yeah. All in a good time. You don't rush a genius." He suddenly jerked forward, making The Doctor frown. "When? Tomorrow night. The premiere of my brand new play. A sequel, no less, and I call it 'Loves Labour's Won'!"

All around them was cheering and applause but the cast and the time traveller remained quiet, stunned. They started to leave the theater, and, like everyone else, they were talking about this new play.

"I'm not an expert, but I've never heard of 'Loves Labour's Won'."

"Exactly, the lost play. It doesn't exist – only in rumours. It's mentioned in lists of his plays but never ever turns up. No one knows why."

"Have you got a mini-disk or something? We could tape it. We can flog it. Sell it when we get home and make a mint."

"No," he said, firmly, looking at her.

"That would be bad?"

"Yeah. Yeah."

"Well, how come it disappeared in the first place?"

"…Well, I was just gonna give you a quick little trip in the TARDIS but I suppose we could stay a bit longer."

* * *

"Hello! Excuse me! I'm not interrupting, am I? Mr. Shakespeare, isn't it?"

The Doctor entered the room where Shakespeare and two of his actors were sitting. Martha followed him.

"Oh no, no, no, no. Who let you in? No autographs. No, you can't have yourself sketched with me. And please don't ask where I get my ideas from. Thanks for the interest. Now be a good boy and shove-"

He took the glimpse of the girl behind the man he was trying to push away. She was beautiful. And she seemed so... strange. "Hey... Sit right down next to me."

He shoved the two actors away and the innkeeper walked out as well. "Sweet lady. Such unusual clothes," he said, staring at her, a certain glow in the gaze.

"Um, verily, forsooth, egad," tried Martha, sitting.

"No, no, don't do that. Don't. I'm Sir Doctor of TARDIS and this is my companion, Miss Martha Jones," he presented themselves, holding out his psychic paper.

"Interesting, that bit of paper. It's blank." "Oh, that's... very clever. That proves it. Absolute genius." He sounded impressed. Martha peered at the paper, read it and frowned.

"No, it says so right there. Sir Doctor, Martha Jones. It says so."

"And I say it's blank."

"Psychic paper," The Doctor explained to a puzzled Martha. "Um, long story. Oh, I hate starting from scratch."

"Psychic. Never heard that before and words are my trade. Who are you exactly? More's the point, who is your delicious blackamoor lady?"

"What did you say?" Gasped Martha.

"Isn't that word we use nowadays? An Ethiop girl? A swarth? A Queen of Afric..."

"I can't believe I'm hearing this..."

"Its political correctness gone mad," added The Doctor."Um, Martha's from a far-off land. Freedonia."

They were interrupted by a quite old and quite fat man, all dressed in rich clothes.

"Excuse me!" He said, entering the room. "Hold hard a moment. This is abominable behaviour. A new play with no warning? I demand to see a script, Mr. Shakespeare. As Master of the Revels, every new script must be registered at my office and examined by me before it can be performed."

"Tomorrow morning, first thing, I'll send it 'round."

"I don't work to your schedule, you work to mine. The script, now!"

"I can't."

"Then tomorrow's performance is cancelled."

"It's all go, 'round here, isn't it?" Martha commented.

"I'm returning to my office for a banning order. If it's the last thing I do, 'Loves Labour's Won' will never be played." He left, thundering. Martha was disappointed. She had really thought she was going to have one of those true adventures she had dreamt of all her life... And here it was, over before it could even begin. She sighed.

"Well, then... mystery solved. That's 'Loves Labour's Won' over and done with. Thought it might be something more, you know... mysterious-"

A loud scream resonated from outside the inn. They rushed down the stairs and reached the man from earlier, spouting water out of his mouth.

"It's that Lynley bloke."

"What's wrong with him? Leave it to me, I'm a doctor."

Martha went after him, "So am I – near enough."

They took care of the man, even if he had been quite odious with Shakespeare.

"Gotta get the heart going. Mr. Lynley, c'mon, can you hear me? You're gonna be all right." Martha was trying to keep the man alive, about to start mouth-to-mouth as water gushed from Lynley's mouth. "What the Hell is that?"

"I've never seen a death like it. His lungs are full of water – he drowned and then... I dunno, like a blow to the heart, an invisible blow." He stood up and addressed the innkeeper, Dolly Bailey."Good mistress, this poor fellow has died from a sudden imbalance of the humours. A natural, if unfortunate demise. Call a constable and have him taken away."

"Yes, sir."

"I'll do it, ma'am," said a young maid who quickly walked away, hiding a satisfied smirk.

The Doctor got back to Martha, crouching down beside the corpse.

"And why are you telling them that?" Her doctor's mind was struggling against the false – and aberrant - diagnosis he had given to the innkeeper.

"This lot still have got one foot in the Dark Ages. If I tell them the truth, they'll panic and think it was witchcraft."

"Okay, what was it then?"

"Witchcraft."

* * *

"I've got you a room, Sir Doctor. You and Miss Jones are just across the landing." Dolly Bailey left them with Shakespeare in the author's office.

"Poor Lynley. So many strange events. Not least of all, this land of Freedonia, where a woman can be a doctor?"

"Where a woman can do what she likes," rectified Martha.

"And you, Sir Doctor. How can a man so young have eyes so old?"

"I do a lot of reading," said The Doctor, with a frown.

"A trite reply. Yeah, that's what I do. And you," Shakespeare continued, eyes flickering to Martha, "you look at him like you're surprised he exists. He's as much of a puzzle to you as he is to me."

"I think we should say good night..." Martha left, feeling awkward. She was starting to like Shakespeare, a lot.

"I must work. I have a play to complete. But I'll get my answers tomorrow, Doctor, and I'll discover more about you and why this constant performance of yours."

"All the world's a stage."

"Hmm, I might use that. Good night, Doctor."

"Nighty-night, Shakespeare." He followed Martha out, ending up in a room with a small bed.

"It's not exactly five-star, is it?" She joked, trying to make her embarrassment vanish.

"Oh, it'll do. I've seen worse."

"I haven't even got a toothbrush."

"Ooh." He patted pockets inside his suit and pulled out a toothbrush. "Contains Venusian spearmint."

"So, who's going where? I mean, there's only one bed." Not that she would refuse to sleep with The Doctor.

"We'll manage. C'mon." He flapped onto the bed, crossing his arms behind his head and looking thoughtfully at the ceiling.

"So, magic and stuff. That's a surprise. It's a little bit 'Harry Potter'."

"Wait till you read Book Seven. Oh, I cried." The Doctor said, face scrunching up.

"But is it real, though? I mean, witches, black magic and all that, it's real?"

"Course it isn't!" He looked at her like she had said something absolutely rude.

"Well, how am I supposed to know? I've only just started believing in time travel. Give me a break."

"Looks like witchcraft, but isn't. Can't be. Are you gonna stand there all night?"

She sat next to him. "Budge up a bit, then." He moved to get her some space. "Sorry," she started, "there's not much room. Us two here, same bed. Tongues will wag."

"There's such a thing as psychic energy but a human couldn't channel it like that," he grumbled, completely oblivious of what she had just said. "Not without a generator the size of Taunton and I think we'd have spotted that." He turned on side facing Martha. "No. There's something I'm missing, Martha."

She lay so they were face-to-face. From here, his eyes were so superb... Dark, old, containing the whole lot of Universe and knowledge in their depths.

"Something really close, staring at me right in the face and I can't see it. Rose would know. A friend of mine, Rose. Right now, she'd say exactly the right thing."

He rolled onto his back, breaking their moment, oblivious of her sad look and the pain in her eyes.

"Still, can't be helped. You're a novice, never mind. I'll take you back home tomorrow."

"Great!" She miffed, her pain becoming anger. She turned her back on him and blew the candle out.

The Doctor didn't focused on her frustration, her grief and her wrath. Or maybe he didn't noticed it. His brain was running, trying so hard to figure all of it out before they could hurt Martha. He cared for the girl, that was for sure. He cared for her but there was still this shadow in his hearts. A blonde shadow named Rose. Broken. He was broken. He had come to love her. He had come to love this frail human being, with such courage and determination, and faith... Faith in him... He had come to think about her like something more than just a companion, maybe the wife he hadn't had, back on Gallifrey, when he was in love with a girl that didn't once looked at him.

A girl with so much pride and strength in her. She wasn't keen on cowardice, and he had been a coward, when her husband was a war hero. Her husband... The one she revered with a light in her eyes. His friend. His best friend. But she hadn't seen him, The Doctor. She had seen the other, a bit less extrovert, a bit less 'mad genius', a bit more psycho maybe. And so much like her. Arrogant, mysterious, proud... Respected. Strangely, his thoughts drifted to the girl, the one he had rescued – as he liked to think, even though she had saved the life of a whole face of the Earth including himself – and who was still in the TARDIS, back in her coma state. Who was she? How could she possibly support so much energy in her for such a long time without burning herself, and burning everything around her? He had seen the fire in her eyes, it had reminded him of the fires of the War, the fires of death and anger, violence, blood... All the things he tried so hard to stop now, acting like a pacifist to a good lot of the people he saw.

He was drifting to a good sleep when a loud scream made him jump up and ran to aid, quickly followed by Martha. They found the body of Dolly Bailey, the innkeeper, in the office of Shakespeare, who woke up with a start when they entered.

"Wha-? What was that?"

Martha ran at the window to catch the sight of a woman, face distorted, flying on a broom in the sky.

A witch.

"Her heart gave out. She died of fright."

"Doctor?" "What did you see?"

"A witch."

* * *

The Doctor faced the sky and tried to pierce the darkness of the night but there was nothing. They were sitting at Shakespeare's desk, the author in front of them.

"Oh, sweet Dolly Bailey. She sat out three bouts of the plague in this place. We all ran like rats. But what could have scared her so? She had such enormous spirit."

"'Rage, rage against the dying of the light'", said The Doctor, making Shakespeare look up at him, interested.

"I might use that."

"You can't. It's someone else's. But the thing is, Lynley drowned on dry land, Dolly died of fright and they were both connected to you."

"You're accusing me?"

"No, but I saw a witch, big as you like, flying, cackling away, and you've written about witches."

"I have? When was that?"

"No, not quite yet," whispered the Doctor to the one he was trying not to refer at as his companion.

"Peter Street spoke of witches... said the man."

"Who's Peter Street?"

"Our builder. He sketched the plans to the Globe."

"The architect. Hold on," said the Doctor, his look of intense brainstorm on. "The architect! The architect! The Globe! Come on!" He rushed off, followed by an exalted Martha and a puzzled Shakespeare.

* * *

The two humans were sitting on the stage as The Doctor was in the pit.

"The columns there, right? 14 sides. I've always wondered but I never asked... tell me Will, why 14 sides?"

"It was the shape Peter Street thought best, that's all. Said it carried the sound well."

"Why does that ring a bell? 14..."

"There are 14 lines in a sonnet," remarked Martha.

"So there is. Good point," he said, not seeing the girl wearing a proud look. "Words and shapes following the same design." He was pacing, running his hands through his hair, making it messier. He was really awesome this way. In a mad way, but she liked it. He took the glimpse of Martha's look on him and realized he was doing THIS motion.

The way he was making himself look even sexier than he already was, she would say that. But then, he didn't know who. This expression was his wife's but he couldn't picture it without the sight of her, dancing in his eyes. But she was dead. Just like the others. They were all dead, burnt, because of him. He had killed them. All of them. In a coward's way. Like he had always been. A coward. Using the others as shields against the enemy. Against the Daleks. He shook his head out of these painful and guilt filled memories.

"14 lines, 14 sides, 14 facets... Oh, my head. Tetradecagon... Think, think, think! Words, letters, numbers, lines!"

"This is just a theater," said Shakespeare.

"Oh, but a theater's magic, isn't it? You should know. Stand on this stage, say the right words with the right emphasis at the right time... Oh, you can make men weep, or cry with joy, change them. You can change people's minds just with words in this place. And if you exaggerate that..."

"It's like your police box. Small wooden box with all the POWER inside."

"Oh. Oh, Martha Jones, I like you," he beamed, oblivious to the sudden blush of her cheeks. "Tell you what, though. Peter Street would know. Can I talk to him?"

"You won't get an answer. A month after finishing this place... lost his mind."

"Why? What happened?"

"Started raving about witches," explained the author, "hearing voices, babbling. His mind was addled."

"Where is he now?" Asked The Doctor, his mind running at the speed of light.

"Bedlam."

"What's Bedlam?"

"Bedlam Hospital. The madhouse."

"We're gonna go there. Right now. Come on." The Doctor headed out, Martha quick on his heels, getting used to his sudden departures.

Back on the street, the two were following the Doctor while Shakespeare was talking with Martha.

"So, tell me of Freedonia, where women can be doctors, writers, actors…"

"This country is ruled by a woman."

"Ah, she's royal. That's God's business. Though you are a royal beauty."

"Whoa, Nelly! I know for a fact you've got a wife in the country."

"But Martha, this is town."

"Come on," snapped The Doctor, irritate. "We can all have a good flirt later."

"Is that a promise, Doctor?" Shakespeare asked, a small smirk n his face.

"Oh, 57 academics just punched the air. Now move!"

* * *

The group walked into the corridors of the madhouse, hearing the screams and moans from the cells. Martha tightened her grip on herself for comfort, The Doctor walked trying not to hear. But he had to.

"Does my lord, Doctor, wish some entertainment while he waits? I'd whip this madmen. They'll put on a good show for ya. Bandog and Bedlam!

"No, I don't!" the Doctor snapped back.

"Wait here, my lords, while I make him decent for the lady." He walked away.

Martha winced, she hated this place. "So this is what you call a hospital, yeah? Where the patients are whipped to entertain the gentry? And you put your friend in here?"

"Oh, and it's all so different in Freedonia," said the author sarcastically.

"But you're clever! Do you honestly think this place is any good?"

"I've been mad. I've lost my mind. Fear of this place set me right again. It serves its purpose."

"Mad in what way?" "

You lost your son," said the Doctor softly, comprehension in his gaze.

"My only boy. The Black Death took him. I wasn't even there."

"I didn't know. I'm sorry," apologized Martha.

"It made me question everything. The futility of existence. To be or not to be... oh, that's quite good."

"You should write it down," added the Time Lord.

"Hmm, maybe not. A bit pretentious."

"This way, m'lord!"

They walked down the hall to Peter's cell. Martha looked around her, shivering at the look a man gave her. The jailer opened the door for them, before closing it behind them. "They can be dangerous," he warned. "Don't know their own strength."

"I think it helps if you don't whip them! Now get out!" Snapped the Doctor harshly.

He approached Peter slowly, who turned his towards them. "Peter? Peter Street?" "He's the same as he was," said Shakespeare. "You'll get nothing out of him." "Peter?" tried the Time Lord again.

This time, the head of the man jerked up and he looked right into The Doctor's eyes, silently begging for help. He let the stranger place his fingertips along Peter's face. "Peter, I'm The Doctor. Go into the past, one year ago. Let your mind go back to when everything was fine and shining. Everything that happened in the year since happened to somebody else. It was just a story. A winter's tale. Let go. Listen. That's it, just let go. Tell me the story, Peter. Tell me about the witches."

Peter's mouth started moving, "Witches spoke to Peter. In the night, they whispered. Got Peter to build the Globe to their design. Their design. The 14 walls — always 14. When the work was done, they sapped poor Peter's wits."

"Where did Peter see the witches? Where in the city? Peter, tell me. You've got to tell me where were they?"

"All Hallows Street."

"Too many words." A witch had appeared besides the Doctor who got away from her.

"What the hell?" Said Martha.

"Just one touch of the heart." The witch laid her finger on Peter's chest.

"Nooo!"

"Aaagh!" It was too late. Peter was dead.

"Witch! I'm seeing a witch!" Shakespeare was mumbling.

"Who should be next, hmm? Just one touch. Oh, oh, I'll stop your frantic hearts. Poor, fragile mortals."

"Let us out! Let us out!" Cried Martha, at the door.

"That's not gonna work. The whole building's shouting that."

"Who will die first, hmm?"

"Well, if you're looking for volunteers." The Doctor walked towards the witch.

"No! Don't!"

"Doctor, can you stop her?"

"No mortal has power over me."

"Oh, but there's a power in words. If I can find the right one — if I can just know you..." started the Doctor.

"None on Earth has knowledge of us."

"Then it's a good thing I'm here. Now think, think, think... Humanoid female, uses shapes and words to channel energy... ah, 14! That's it! 14! The 14 stars of the Rexel planetary configuration! Creature, I name you Carrionite!" The creature wailed and vanished into thin air.

"What did you do?"

"I named her. The power of a name. That's old magic."

"But there's no such thing as magic."

"Well, it's just a different sort of science. You lot, you chose mathematics. Given the right string of numbers, the right equation, you can split the atom. Carrionites use words instead."

"Use them for what?"

"The end of the world."

* * *

The Doctor, Martha and Shakespeare were back in Shakespeare's room at the inn.

"The Carrionites disappeared way back at the dawn of the universe. Nobody was sure if they were real or legend."

"Well, I'm going for real," said Shakespeare.

"But what do they want?"

"A new empire on Earth. A world of bones and blood and witchcraft."

"But how?"

"I'm looking at the man with the words."

"Me? But I've done nothing." Said the author.

"Hold on, though. What were you doing last night, when that Carrionite was in the room?"

"Finishing the play."

"What happens on the last page?"

"The boys get the girls. They have a bit of a dance. It's all as funny and thought provoking as usual — except those last few lines. Funny thing is... I don't actually remember writing them."

"That's it. They used you. They gave you the final words. Like a spell, like a code. 'Love's Labours Won' — it's a weapon! The right combination of words, spoken at the right place with the shape of the Globe as an energy converter! The play's the thing! And yes, you can have that. All Hallows Street. There it is. Martha, we'll track them down. Will, you get to the Globe. Whatever you do, stop that play!"

"I'll do these years I've been the cleverest man around. Next to you, I know nothing."

"Oh, don't complain."

"I'm not. It's marvellous. Good luck, Doctor."

"Good luck, more unto the breach!"

"I like that. Wait a minute... that's one of mine."

"Oh, just shift!"

* * *

They were in the street, looking for the witches' house. "All Hallows Street, but which house?"

"The thing is, though... am I missing something here? The world didn't end in 1599. It just didn't. Look at me — I'm living proof."

"Oh, how to explain the mechanics of the infinite temporal flux? I know! 'Back to the Future'! It's like 'Back to the Future'!"

"The film?"

"No, the novelisation. Yes, the film. Marty McFly goes back and changes history."

"And he starts fading. Oh my God, am I gonna fade?"

"You and the entire future of the human race. It ends right now in 1599 if we don't stop it. But which house?" A door slowly opened, from the nearest house. "Ah, make that WITCH house." He beamed and walked towards the house, stepping in.

They climbed up the stairs and discovered a young woman, they recognized as a maid from the inn. "I take it we're expected," smiled the Doctor.

"Oh, I think Death has been waiting for you a very long time," responded the woman.

"Right then, it's my turn," Martha stepped forwards and pointed to the witch. "I know how to do this. I name thee, Carrionite!"

The alien girl had a little fake gasp, unaffected.

"What did I do wrong? Was it the finger?"

"The power of a name works only once. Observe," said the girl. "I gaze upon this bag of bones and now I name thee Martha Jones." Martha collapsed and the Doctor lowered her to the ground, before looking back to the witch.

"What have you done?"

"Only sleeping, alas. Curious, the name has less impact. She's somehow out of her time. And as for you, Sir Doctor!" Nothing happened. "Fascinating. There is no name. Why would a man hide his title in such despair? Oh, but look. There's still one word with the power that aches."

"The naming won't work on me."

"But your heart grows cold. The north wind blows and carries down the distant... Rose."

"Oh, big mistake 'cos that name keeps me fighting! The Carrionites vanished! Where did you go?"

"The Eternals found the right word to banish us into deep darkness."

"And how did you escape?"

"New words. New and glittering from a mind like no other."

"Shakespeare."

"His son perished. The grief of a genius. Grief without measure. Madness enough to allow us entrance."

"How many of you?"

"Just the three. But the play tonight shall restore the rest. Then the human race will be purged as pestilence. And from this world we will lead the universe back to the old ways of blood and magic."

"Hmm... busy schedule. But first you gotta get past me." He stood face-to-face with Lilith. The woman took a step forward, her body flush against his.

"Oh, that should be a pleasure considering my enemy has such a handsome shape," she said, running her fingers along his face.

"Now, that's one form of magic that's definitely not gonna work on me. Just depends the person... And you're not slightly comparing the one."

"Oh, we'll see." She yanked a lock of hair from his head and backed away.

"What did you do?"

"Souvenir," she mocked.

"Well, give it back!"

Lilith threw up arms and the window behind her opened. She flew out backwards, levitating outside.

"Well, that's just cheating."

"Behold, Doctor. Men to Carrionites are nothing but puppets." She pulled out a doll and wrapped his hair around it. Martha was waking up slowly, her head hurting bad, to see the Doctor speak to the girl.

"..Now, you might call that magic, I'd call that a DNA replication module."

"What use is your science now?" and with that, she stabbed the doll. The Doctor let out a cry and fell to the floor as Lilith cackled and flew away. Martha rushed to the Doctor. She was worried about him, she had felt a deep pain in her heart too.

"Oh my God! Doctor! Don't worry, I've got you." She paused. "Hold on, mister. Two hearts?"

"You're making a habit of this." The Doctor opened his eyes with a smile before attempting to stand up. "Agh! I've only got one heart working. How do you people cope? I've got to get the other one started. Hit me! Hit me on the chest!" Martha did. "Oww! Other side!" Again. "On the back! On the back! Left a bit! Ahh, lovely. There we go!" He jumped on his feet. "Ba-da-boom! Well, what are you standing there for? Come one! The Globe!" He rushed out, as though nothing had happened.

Martha and the Doctor ran through the streets. "We're going the wrong way!"

"No, we're not!" They ran down a different street.

"We're going the wrong way!" Said the Doctor this time. They ran back the way they came. The Globe emerged in front of them, screaming and a red glow coming from within.

The woman sighed, 'Oh God, that's unbelievable!'

The preacher from when they first arrive was there. "I told thee so! I told thee!" "Stage door!"

The Doctor rushed off. Thunderclouds and lightening were forming over the Globe mixing with the red glow. They burst in backstage to see Shakespeare nursing his head.

"Stop the play. I think that was it. Yeah, I said, 'stop the play'!"

"I hit my head."

"Yeah, don't rub it, you'll go bald. I think that's my cue!" The Doctor added, hearing screams from the stage. He ran out leaving Martha pull Shakespeare's hand and follow.

"Now begins the millennium of blood!" Cackled a Carrionite, as The Doctor rushed to them, on the stage, the humans quickly on his heels.

"The Doctor! He lives!" Said the witch girl. "Then watch this world become a blasted heath! They come! They come!" The remaining Carrionites freed from the crystal flew about the Globe.

"Come on, Will! History needs you!" Shouted the Doctor to the writer.

"But what can I do?"

"Reverse it!" "How am I supposed to do that?"

"The shape of the Globe gives words power, but you're the wordsmith, the one true genius. The only man clever enough to do it!"

"But what words? I have none ready!"

"You're William Shakespeare!"

"But these Carrionite phrases, the need such precision!"

"Trust yourself. When you're locked away in your room, the words just come, don't they? Like magic. Words of the right sound, the right shape, the right rhythm — words that last forever! That's what you do, Will! You choose perfect words. Do it. Improvise!"

Shakespeare faced the swirling mass of Carrionites, "Close up this den of hateful, dire decay!" Started the man, improvising words of power to banish the Carrionites. "Decomposition of your witches' plot! You thieve my brains, consider me your toy. My doting Doctor tells me I am not!"

"No! Words of power!" Cried the young Carrionite.

"Foul Carrionite spectres, cease your show! Between the points..." He looked to the Doctor, with a slight desperation.

"7-6-1-3-9-0!"

"7-6-1-3-9-0! And banished like a tinker's cuss, I say to thee..."

"Expelliarmus!" Yelled a frazzled Martha.

"Expelliarmus!" the Doctor yelled back to Shakespeare.

"EXPELLIARMUS!" Finished Shakespeare as the Carrionites cried.

"Good old JK!" Said the Doctor, beaming.

"The deep darkness! They are consumed! Ahhh!" The wraith-like Carrionites got sucked up into the cloud, tornado fashion, as well as all copies of the play.

"'Love's Labours Won'. There it goes," said the only alien left, that is, the Doctor, seeming a bit sad. The cloud dissipated and the audience sighed in relief then began applauding. The Doctor ducked out as actors took their bows.

"They think it was all special effects," sighed Martha, a bit sad they weren't recognized as the true heroes.

"Your effect is special indeed."

"It's not your best line," she said back to Shakespeare as they took their own bows.

The Doctor went to the witches' box where he found the crystal within which the three were trapped. He took it with him. He would have to find some place to store them into the TARDIS, it would not do anyone any good if somebody to released them one day.

* * *

Next morning at the Globe, Martha and Shakespeare were sitting at the edge of the stage, the author flirting with the girl in a not so subtle way. "And I say, a heart for a hart and a dear for a deer."

"I don't get it."

"Then give me a joke from Freedonia."

"OK.. Shakespeare walks into a pub and the landlord says 'oi, mate, you're bard'"

"It's brilliant! Doesn't make sense, mind you, but never mind that. Come here," he said seductively, wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her closer.

"I've only just met you."

"The Doctor might never kiss you. Why not entertain a man who will?"

"I don't know how to tell you this, oh great genius, but your breath doesn't half stink."

The Doctor emerged from backstage wearing a ruff collar and carrying an animal skull. He didn't notice the blush on Martha's cheeks and the way both of humans broke their embrace when he arrived. He never noticed. Anything. The way the girl was looking at him was so clear to the others but him... He wasn't really clear-sighted for that. He had never been.

"Good props store back there! I'm not sure about this though. Reminds me of a Sycorax," he muttered, looking at the skull.

"Sycorax. Nice word. I'll have that off you as well."

"I should be on 10%. How's your head?"

"Still aching," Shakespeare said, wincing.

"Here, I got you this," he told the man, removing the collar from his neck to put it around Shakespeare's. "Neck brace. Wear that for a few days till its better, although you might wanna keep it. It suits you."

"What about the play?"

"Gone. I looked all over, every single copy of 'Love's Labours Won' went up in the sky."

"My lost masterpiece."

"You could write it up again."

"Yeah, better not, Will. There's still power in those words. Maybe it should best stay forgotten." The Doctor said.

"Oh, but I've got new ideas. Perhaps it's time I wrote about fathers and sons. In memory of my boy, my precious Hamnet."

"Hamnet?" Martha said, incredulously.

"That's him." "Ham-NET?" She repeated, looking at him with wide eyes.

"What's wrong with that?" Answered the man, a bit vexed.

"Anyway, time we were off. I've got a nice attic in the TARDIS where this lot can scream for all eternity and I've gotta take Martha back to Freedonia."

"You mean travel on through time and space," add Shakespeare with an amused spark in his eyes.

"You what?"

"You're from another world like the Carrionites and Martha is from the future. It's not hard to work out."

"That's... incredible. You are incredible," The Doctor said, amazed and highly impressed.

"We're alike in many ways, Doctor. Martha, let me say goodbye to you in a new verse. A sonnet for my Dark Lady. Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate—"

"Will! Will! You'll never believe it! She's here! She's turned up!" Called an actor who had just ran into the theatre.

"We're the talk of the town. She heard about last night! She wants us to perform it again," added another one.

"Who?" Asked Martha.

"Her Majesty! She's here!"

"Queen Elizabeth I!" Beamed The Doctor, as The Queen entered.

"Doctor!" She gasped, a sudden furious look on her face.

"What?"

"My sworn enemy!"

"What?" He repeated.

"Off with his head!"

"What?"

"Never mind "what", just run! See you, Will! And thanks!" Martha screamed, laughter in her voice.

"Stop that pernicious Doctor!" Shakespeare laughed as the two time travellers where running off to the TARDIS. They reached it as the soldiers were chasing them.

"Stop in the name of the Queen!"

"What have you done to upset her?!" Asked Martha, a bit upset too, even though she was half laughing.

"How should I know? Haven't even met her yet. That's time travel for you! Still, can't wait to find out. That's something to look forward to. Oh!"He ducked inside the TARDIS where Martha was already as archers fire, embedding an arrow in the door. The TARDIS dematerialized in with its humming sound.

* * *

Martha was resting in the room she had picked before locking herself in for a good night of sleep. This trip to Shakespearian London had been quite emotional for the girl. As every first trip was, even for him. So, everything was dark and quiet in the numerous rooms of the TARDIS. The Doctor was sitting in the main hall, feet on the console, eyes closed, sitting in the Captain's Chair in a really cozy and casual way. The lights were out, the silence deep. But he wasn't sleeping. The picture of this human girl he'd been carrying around for months - or years, who knew? - that amount of energy in her was keeping him awake, burnt on his retina. The golden light that had escaped her head... It had reminded him of the Bad Wolf.

The Bad Wolf. Also known as Rose, a woman he had come to love in his past self, for her determination, her empathy, her beauty... Rose wasn't the usual beauty symbol but she had something. A charm... Something. A spark that burnt him down. And now he was broken by his loss. It was... horrible.

He knew she was alive, he knew she was happy, safe with her family but... he felt regret. And guilt. It should have been him. Oh God, it should have been him. And now he was travelling with a new girl even if he had sworn not to take another companion. But he couldn't help it. And Martha was just a passenger. She was just there for that day. One trip. Or maybe two. Yeah, he could give her another chance. See a new world. This time in the future... Maybe... New New York... It had been so much fun the last time he was there. With her. Rose.

He shook hard his head. He had to stop thinking about it. It was over.

He stood up from the Captain's Chair. He knew what to do. The Doctor walked down the corridor, the long and infinite corridor of the TARDIS to a little door. The tiniest door. He ducked a bit and stepped in.

The scene was quite unusual. She was... floating. Her hair wasn't pulled down by gravity, it was floating too. Her pale frame was even paler than the last time he had seen it and she was still shining a bit but her glow was the same. She was getting better thanks to the TARDIS and the wires implanted under her skin. He approached and delicately touched the metal tubes, running his hand along it until he found the point of junction between the being and the machinery. Her eyelids were sealed but he wanted so much to see them open, to discover the color of her irises... She had to be more beautiful eyes open, more alive than now. She was definitely pretty, in that serene sleep, a little smile on her lips as the other parts of her face and body were relaxed. She was wearing a white and spotty hospital gown, laced up her back. The cables ran along her limbs and into her back, her neck, down her spine. She let out a little snort and he laughed slightly. Deep sleep. Just what he wanted.

But the memories kept rushing in. He stroked the girl's cheek slightly. She shivered. He smiled and stepped back, turning his back. The TARDIS turned off the light when he closed the door behind him.


	3. Gridlock (Waking up and Freaking out)

**Hello, hello everyone. **

**I would like to thank all the ones who followed and favorited (I don't know if that word even exist) this story and I hope there'll be more and more viewers. By the way, it would really be awesome if some of you could leave reviews. I know it takes time but it would be the mean to ask questions about the story, the characters, the author, the beta ( thank you, dear aWeSoMeLuNaTiC!) or criticize our work, exchange ideas etc... It would be very nice of you guys. **

**So, today, as everyone I think know, Gridlock. And a few more things about my dear Comatose who'll have a role in this chapter. **

**Enjoy reading and don't forget to leave a little review (even a little... I don't mind...). **

**Too hard to be called Love**

* * *

In the TARDIS, Martha, awake, was watching the Doctor pulling levers here and there. He was humming in the same tone as the TARDIS. The Doctor in a good mood... bad things on the way. It was just her second trip with him but she just had this feeling...

"Just one trip. 'S'what I said. One trip, in the TARDIS, and then home. Although – I suppose we could – stretch the definition. Try one trip to the past, one trip to the future. How do you fancy that?"

He directed his cute cheeky grin at her.

"No complaints from me!" She said, thrilled.

"How about a different planet?"

"Can we go to yours?" The Doctor's excitement ebbed almost immediately. He turned away from her, touching the buttons on the console without any aim. She had a slight hope in her voice...

"Ahh, there's plenty of other places!"

"Come on, though! I mean, Planet of the Time Lords, that's got to be worth a look! What's it like?"

"Well, it's beautiful, yeah." Was his short answer.

She didn't seem to see it wasn't something to talk about.

"Is it like, you know, outer space cities, all spires and stuff?"

"'Suppose it is."

"Great big temples and cathedrals!"

"Yeah." He was so clearly avoiding this topic. Martha was oblivious, lost in cheerful imagination, her eyes sparkling.

"Lots of planets in the sky?"

"The sky's a burnt orange, with the Citadel enclosed in a mighty glass dome, shining under the twin suns. Beyond that, the mountains go on forever – slopes of deep red grass, capped with snow."

Martha was utterly enthralled. There was a ghost, a shadow in his voice and the landscape in his irises.

"Can we go there?"

"Nah! Where's the fun for me? I don't want to go home! Instead…"

He began to dance around the main pillar, tweaking settings as he went.

"This is much better. Year five billion and fifty-three, planet New Earth! Second hope of mankind! Fifty thousand light years from your old world, and we're slap bang in the middle of New New York" He rambled. "Although, technically it's the fifteenth New York from the original, so it's New New New New New New New New New New New New New New New York. One of the most dazzling cities ever built."

The Doctor threw on his overcoat, and led her out of the TARDIS into a pouring rain shower. Martha scowled and hurriedly zipped up her jacket.

"Oh, that's nice! Time Lord version of dazzling" She said, sarcastically.

"Nah, bit of rain never hurt anyone. Come on, let's get under cover!"

It was still raining in the slummy portion of the city where Martha and the Doctor had ended up. They dashed through a junk-ridden street, past what looked like giant dumpsters and old laundry swinging from a line.

"Well, it looks like the same old Earth to me. On a Wednesday afternoon."

"Hold on, hold on. Let's have a look."

He went over to a dead screen on the wall, sonicing it. Once static appeared, the Doctor banged on the top of the screen himself. A blonde woman flickered into view, starting a sort of newscast.

"–and the driving should be clear and easy, with fifteen extra lanes open for the New New Jersey expressway."

The image on the screen shifted to reveal the New New York above ground, a gorgeous spired city on the coast of a large river, with sleek flying vehicles zooming in the air. Martha beamed at it.

"Oh, that's more like it!" The Doctor said. "That's the New New York we had last time. This must be the lower level. Down in the base of the tower, some sort of under-city."

"You've brought me to the slums?" Martha sounded a bit irritated but was smiling at herself.

"Much more interesting! It's all cocktails and glitter up there. This is the real city."

"You'd enjoy anything." She just couldn't help loving him and his optimism.

"That's me. Oh, the rain's stopping! Better and better!"

"When you say 'last time', was that you and Rose?"

"Um – yeah. Yeah, it was, yeah."

"You're taking me to the same planets that you took her?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing. Just – ever heard the word 'rebound'?" She answered a bit bitterly. As she pushed past him, vexed, a man suddenly flipped open the top of on of the large green boxes to reveal a street vendor's cart. Around the Doctor and Martha, many others did the same, appearing and shouting out their wares.

"Oh! You should have said. How long you been there? Happy! You want Happy!"

"Customers! Customers! We've got customers!"

"We're in business! Mother, open up the Mellow, and the Read!"

"Happy, Happy, lovely happy Happy!"

"Anger! Buy some Anger!"

"Get some Mellow, makes you feel all bendy and soft all day long!"

"Younger, them. They'll rip you off. Do you want some happy?"

"No, thanks." The Doctor frowned.

"Are they selling drugs? " A puzzled Martha asked.

"I think they're selling moods."

"Same thing, isn't it?" She sighed. Other, more bedraggled-looking people walked into the alleyway behind the Doctor and Martha. These newcomers drew more cries from the pharmacists. A pale woman dressed in very dark clothes walked with intent toward the stalls.

"Over here, sweetheart! That's it, come on, I'll get you first!"

"Oi! Oi, you! Over here! Over here! Buy some Happy!"

"Come over here, yeah. And what can I get you, my love?"

"I want to buy Forget." She said with a weary voice.

"I've got Forget, my darling. What strength? How much you want forgetting?"

"It's my mother and father. They went on the motorway."

"Oh, that's so sweet." The woman added, seeming not at least interested about what the pale girl had just said.

She reached behind her into the stall, pulled out a small circular token, and held it out to the woman.

"Try this. Forget Forty-three. That's two pence."

The pale woman paid the pharmacist and turned away, the token still in her hand. Before she could do anything with it, the Doctor stopped her. Martha stood back, looking him handling it. He seemed to be a bit distant after having spoken about his home planet.

"Sorry, but – hold on a minute. What happened to your parents?" The concern of the Time Lord was a bit piercing in his voice.

"They drove off."

"They might drive back."

"Everyone goes to the motorway in the end. I've lost them." She said, tears almost coming to her eyes.

"But they can't have gone far. You could find them."

The pale woman just looked at him, then down with a sigh, as though he was thick not to understand her despair. She stuck the circular token to her neck.

"No, no – no, don't!" It was too late. Once the token had been applied, the pale woman's expression changed almost instantly. She seemed docile, serene; a bit out of it, but blithely unaware of her surroundings.

"I'm sorry, what were you saying?"

"Your parents. Your mother and father. They're on the motorway."

"Are they? That's nice." She beamed, with a little smile.

Martha made a disbelieving face – how could the woman think it nice if she was about to cry about it a second ago? She looked towards the Doctor. He was disturbed, but not surprised.

"I'm sorry. I won't keep you."

They watched her go with frowns on their faces – the Doctor pensive, Martha upset and a little scornful.

"So that's the human race five billion years in the future. Off their heads on chemicals."

As she said this, two figures spring out from behind her, carrying guns and dressed in dark clothing. One man grabbed her from behind, throwing an arm around her neck and dragging her off, as his wife stood in front of them pointing her gun at the Doctor. Martha screamed and struggled, but they're quick – they retreated, taking Martha with them.

"I'm sorry, I'm really, really sorry. We just need three, that's all." The man seemed really apologetic.

"No, let her go!" The Doctor shouted in a quite desperate way. "I'm warning you, let her go! Whatever you want, I can help. Both of us, we can help. But first you've got to let her go!"

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry. Sorry." The woman said. She repeated her apologies, almost crying, until the couple had disappeared with Martha in their clutches, slamming a large green door behind them. The Doctor bared his teeth in frustration and began to wrestle with the door.

Not again. He wasn't going to lose somebody else. Not now he had just started to heal. Nobody was going to take Martha. Nobody was going to take her away from him and from this life. It was all his fault; he shouldn't have come to this bloody planet. He shouldn't have asked her to come with him in the first place.

The Doctor used the sonic screwdriver and yanked the door open, running after the kidnappers. He dashed through a corridor. A car rose into the air and the engines powered up, just as he rushed out onto the fire escape, furious and fearful.

"Martha!" He yelled, frantically when he saw the car vanishing.

The vehicle sped off down a small alleyway and out of sight.

* * *

The Doctor, back in the alleyway where he and Martha met the pharmacists, pounded on the door of one of the now-closed stalls. It flipped up quickly, revealing a woman. Seeing him, she grinned broadly and leant toward him over the countertop.

"Thought you'd come back! Do you want some Happy Happy?" She said in a way she had maybe thought appealing.

"Those people – who were they? Where did they take her?" He asked, going mad because of the two guys who had taken Martha.

"They've taken her to the motorway."

"Looked like carjackers to me." Another pharmacist added.

"I'd give up now, darling. You won't see her again."

"Used to be thriving in this place. You couldn't move. But they all go to the motorway in the end."

The Doctor whirled, grilling them all at once. His mind was running, trying to think, concentrating on any ideas... But there weren't any.

"He kept on saying three, we need three. What did he mean, three?"

"It's the car-sharing policy, to save fuel. You get special access if you're carrying three adults." The woman explained, as though he was stupid.

"This motorway – how do I get there?"

"Straight down the alley, keep going to the end. You can't miss it."

The Doctor strode off in the direction she had indicated, not losing a second.

"Tell you what – how 'bout some happy Happy? Then you'll be smiling, my love!" She tried a last time.

At this, the Doctor turned back. He had this dark look. 'The Oncoming Storm' look.

"Word of advice, all of you. Cash up. Close down. And pack your bags."

"Why's that, then?"

"Because as soon as I've found her, alive and well – and I will find her, alive and well – then I'm coming back. And this street is closing. Tonight!"

The pharmacists glance at each other, apprehensive. His voice was determined, cold and furious. He was dangerous. There was something in their guts that told them to do what he had said.

* * *

In a dilapidated corridor, near an old sign reading "MOTORWAY ACCESS," the sonic screwdriver buzzed in the dim light. The Doctor was forcing open a large door; the lock opened with a loud clang and he stepped through onto a platform. He coughed, now in an atmosphere of heavy smoke. A few seconds after him, the door to one of the floating vehicles opens, and a large figure covered in protective gear leant out.

"Hey! You daft little street strut! What are you doing, standing there? Either get out or get in! Come on!"

Coughing fit to burst, the Doctor jumped through the open door into the car.

"Did you ever see the like?"

A dark-haired woman in the car, handed the Doctor an oxygen mask, and he took it gratefully, breathing deeply.

"Here you go." She said.

"Just standing there, breathing it in!" The 'man' pulled off his goggles, cap, and scarf; he was a cat. Just like the one he had seen the first time with Rose, Novice Hame was one of them.

"There's this story says back in the old days, on Junction Forty-Seven, this woman stood in the exhaust fumes for a solid twenty minutes. By the time they found her, her head had swollen to fifty feet!"

"Oh, you're making it up..." The woman sighed teasingly.

The cat now headed to the front of the car, getting in the driver's seat.

"A fifty-foot head!" The cat continued. "Just think of it. Imagine picking that nose."

"Stop it. That's disgusting."

"What? Did you never pick your nose?"

All joking forgotten, the woman suddenly sat up straight and tapped the driver on the arm.

"Bran, we're moving!"

"Right. I'm there. I'm on it."

He pulled a lever and the engines in the back of the car spewed out smoke. As they went forward, the other cars moved into place around them, horns beeping at every corner. They didn't go far, though, and after a couple of seconds Bran drew the lever back.

"Twenty yards! We're having a good day." He beamed at the woman.

She smiled, and both of them turned back to regard the Doctor, who was standing behind them and pulling off his oxygen mask.

"And who might you be, sir? Very well-dressed for a hitchhiker."

"Thanks. Sorry, I'm the Doctor." He said.

"Medical man! Ha-ha! My name's Thomas Kincade Brannigan, and this is the bane of my life, the lovely Valerie."

"Nice to meet you."

"And that's the rest of the family behind you."

The Doctor turned and drew a curtain behind him, revealing a basket of adorable mewling kittens.

"Aww, that's nice. Hello." He beamed.

He reached gently out to them as the parents of the kittens shared a glance, and the Doctor turned back to Brannigan and Valerie, now with a tiny black cat in his hands. He stood there patting it with his hands.

"How old are they?"

"Just two months."

"Poor little souls." Brannigan sighed. "They've never known the ground beneath their paws. Children of the motorway."

"What, they were born in here?" The Time Lord gasped.

"We couldn't stop." Valerie explained, as if it was completely obvious and normal. "We heard there were jobs going, out in the laundries on Fire Island. Thought we'd take a chance."

"What? You've been driving for two months?" He said, still completely puzzled.

"Do I look like a teenager? We've been driving for twelve years now." The cat told him.

"I'm sorry?"

"Yeah! Started out as newlyweds! Feels like yesterday."

"Feels like twelve years to me."

"Ahh, sweetheart, but you're still lovely." He tickled her, and she giggled, their troubles forgotten.

"Twelve years?!" The Doctor repeated. "How far did you come? Where did you start?"

"Battery Park. It's five miles back."

"You travelled five miles in twelve years?" He said with an incredulous voice.

"I think he's a bit slow." Brannigan added to his wife.

The Doctor reached behind him and put the kitten back with its fellows.

"Where are you from?" The cat asked.

"Never mind that." He avoided the question. "I've got to get out. My friend's in one of these cars. She was taken hostage. I should get back to the TARDIS."

He pulled open the door next to him, but emerged into nothing but a cloud of smoke.

"You're too late for that. We've passed the lay-by."

The Doctor coughed and closed the door again. Then, he would wait. But with difficulty. And a doubt peeked in his mind.

"You're a passenger now, Sonny Jim!"

"When's the next lay-by?" He asked suddenly.

"Oh … six months?" The cat answered with a little laugh.

The Doctor looked at him, completely unamused.

* * *

Her eyelids fluttered. Oh God. Her head was a complete mess. Her fuzzy sight wasn't helping. Her limbs were aching. Jeez... What the Hell had she done to feel this way? Yes, she was rude. Language had never been her best. And in the state she was... Well, she would swear. A lot. It helped, though. It helped controlling her emotions. The first thing she would do after regaining her faculties would be to shoot her some painkillers. Strong painkillers. And a coffee. She would kill for a coffee.

She moaned, trying to sit, having to force her body to do it. Then, her sight focused completely. She blinked a few times, the room was bloody blinding. She looked around her. Nothing but white walls. And she was sitting on the floor. On the floor. The guys who had let her sleep that way were going to die. It was a bit chilly this room. She wrapped herself in her arms, only to feel cables. Running UNDER her SKIN. What the hell was that? They – she didn't know who – had been drugging her? With cables in her arms? Through her whole body, she thought, sensing it. She was the prisoner of some maniac psychopaths, no doubts.

* * *

The sonic screwdriver shined and buzzed in front of a screen with the insignia of the New New York Police Department. The Doctor could see himself reflected in the screen, holding a vocal transmitter.

"I need to talk to the police," he said through the transmitter.

"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold." As these words were spoken by the electronic voice, they also appeared typed on the screen: THANK YOU FOR YOUR CALL. YOU HAVE BEEN PLACED ON HOLD…

"But you're the police!"

"Thank you for your call. You have been placed on hold", the voice repeated.

The Doctor scrambled up to the front of the car where Brannigan and Valerie were still sitting.

"Is there anyone else? I once met the Duke of Manhattan; is there any way of getting through to him?"

"Oh, now, ain't you lordly?" Mocked Brannigan.

"I've got to find my friend."

"You can't make outside calls. The motorway's completely enclosed", explained the woman.

What about the other cars?

"Oh, we've got contact with them, yeah. Well, some of them, anyway. They've got to be on your friends list. Now, let's see – who's nearby? Ahh! The Cassini sisters!"

He held up his transmitter.

"Still your hearts, my handsome girls", he called in the transmitter. "It's Brannigan here."

…

"Oh, come on, now, sisters. Is that any way to talk to an old friend?"

…

"Oooh, stop that modern talk! I'm an old-fashioned cat. Now, I've got a hitchhiker here, calls himself the Doctor.""

He handed the transmitter over to the Doctor, who grabbed it.

"Hello. Sorry. I'm looking for someone called Martha Jones. She's been carjacked. She's inside one of these vehicles, but I don't know which one."

…

"Where were we?" The Doctor asked the driver.

"Pharmacy Town."

"Pharmacy Town, about twenty minutes ago," said the alien back in the transmitter.

…

"Anything more specific?"

…

"Yes, she was, yeah."

…

"That's it! So how do we find them?"

…

"Call them on this thing", he asked Brannigan. "We've got their number. Diamond six."

"Not if they're designated fast lane. It's a different class."

…

"They put me on hold."

…

"Thank you."

He hands Brannigan back the transmitter.

"We've got to go to the fast lane. Take me down."

"Not in a million years."

"You've got three passengers!"

"I'm still not going."

"She's alone, and she's lost. She doesn't belong on this planet, and it's all my fault. I'm asking you, Brannigan – take me down."

"That's a no. And that's final. I'm not risking the children down there."

"Why not? What's the risk? What happens down there?"

"We're not discussing it! The conversation is closed!"

"So we keep on driving."

"Yes, we do."

"For how long?"

"'Till the journey's end."

The Doctor reached over him to snatch the vocal transmitter. He had again this 'Oncoming Storm' look.

"Mrs. Cassini, this is the Doctor", he practically shouted. "Tell me, how long have you been driving on the motorway?"

…

"And in all that time, have you ever seen a police car?"

Valerie and Brannigan looked at him, disquieted that he was bringing this to light.

…

"Look at your notes. Any police?"

…

"Or an ambulance? Rescue service? Anything official? Ever?"

…

"What if there's no one out there?" He said in a dark voice.

Brannigan reached up and angrily took the transmitter away from the Doctor. It was going too far!

"Stop it. The Cassinis were doing you a favor", snapped the cat.

"Someone's got to ask. 'Cause you might not talk about it, but it's there. In your eyes."

It was absolutely in Brannigan's eyes right now.

"What if the traffic jam never stops?"

"There's a whole city above us. The mighty city-state of New New York. They wouldn't just leave us", he tried to convince The Doctor as well as himself.

"In that case, where are they? Hmm? What if there's no help coming, not ever? What if there's nothing? Just the motorway, with the cars going round and round and round, never stopping? Forever?"

"Shut up! Just shut up!" Cried Valerie.

The screen at the front of the car blared into life. It was the news starting up, with the blonde woman he had already seen.

"This is Sally Calypso, and it's that time again. The sun is blazing high in the sky over the New Atlantic, the perfect setting for the daily contemplation."

"You think you know us so well, Doctor", said bitterly Brannigan. "But we're not abandoned. Not while we have each other."

Valerie smiled a bit at this.

"This is for all of you out there on the roads. We're so sorry. Drive safe."

Valerie and Brannigan started to sing, this sad song, and the Time Lord was watching them with such sadness and pity in his glance. By the end of the hymn, the woman had tears in her eyes.

* * *

Her hands moved to reach the wires but she found nothing. What? A second before, they were there, implanted in her skin and... They had vanished! Completely vanished. There wasn't any sign of the cables... That was crazy, she stood up with big difficulties, her muscles aching even more than her head now. Oh God... That was horrible. She slowly patted the front of the hospital blouse she was wearing. And under it... Well, she was naked. Those people were psychopaths and perverts. She needed to escape now. She took a hesitant step forward. The whole world was spinning. She finally reached the door. Good. She was now going to see what was out there.

* * *

"If you won't take me, I'll go down on my own", said The Doctor with all his determination and his fear for Martha's life.

He scrambled to the middle of the car, pulling out the sonic screwdriver and inspecting the floor. Brannigan and Valerie turned, shocked.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Finding my own way. I usually do."

"Capsule open", said the electronic voice.

Valerie and Brannigan looked on in horror as a door in the floor of the car opens, revealing the hundreds of cars below them. One pulled up right underneath the opening, and the Doctor prepared to jump down.

"Here we go."

He took off his overcoat and threw it to them. Valerie caught it.

"Look after this. I love that coat. Janis Joplin gave me that coat."

"But you can't jump!"

"If it's any consolation, Valerie, right now, I'm having kittens."

"This Martha – she must mean an awful lot to you."

"Hardly know her. I was too busy showing off. And I lied to her. Couldn't help it, just lied." He looked up. "Bye then!"

He jumped down, landing on top of the next car, coughing from the fumes. The Doctor dragged the sonic screwdriver across the top of the car he had just landed on, opening its top door. He dropped into the car, finding a man dressed all in white and looking very pale.

"Capsule open."

"Who the hell are you?"

"Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol. I'm doing a survey. How are you enjoying your motorway?"

He turned to the floor, opening the bottom door, completely oblivious of what the man was saying.

"Well, not very much. Junction Five's been closed for three years!"

"Thank you. Your comments have been noted. Have a nice day!"

He leaped through the bottom of that car, continuing down into the next one. He was still coughing – the fumes were intense.

"Capsule open."

The sonic screwdriver quickly opened the bottom door of this car. The Doctor looked up at two very startled girls in the front. He had this grin of his but his mind was completely absorbed by the concern for Martha's life.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Your comments have been noted."

He picked up a blue handkerchief and started to tie it over his mouth to stop him coughing.

"Do you mind if I borrow this? Not my colour, but thank you very much."

He continued his journey, the cloth filtering the fumes a bit, through cars and cars and cars to the last layer. A businessman in pinstripes leaned against his steering wheel, staring out at the gridlock when the Doctor popped up in his car.

"Capsule open."

"'Scuse me, is that legal?" He asked the Time Lord who had just appeared behind him.

"Sorry, Motorway Foot Patrol." He was now choking; coughing so hard he didn't finished his explanation. "Whatever. Have you got any water?"

"Certainly. Never let it be said I've lost my manners."

The man reached over to a water cooler, filling a cone-shaped clear plastic cup and handing it to the Doctor who drained it immediately, sighing.

"Is this the last layer?"

"Ah, we're right at the bottom. Nothing below us but the fast lane."

"Can we drive down?"

"There's only two of us. You need three to go down."

"Couldn't we just cheat?"

"Well, I'd love to, but it's an automated system. The wheel would lock."

"If you'll excuse me."

The Doctor ran over to the door in the bottom of the car, using his sonic screwdriver to flip it open.

"You can't jump. It's a thousand feet down!" Gasped the man.

"No, I just want to look."

What this businessman was thinking? He was a bit mad but not as much! He stared out into a thick, murky fog, dotted with tiny lights. Faintly, from the distance, came the same screeching roar. No, it couldn't be...

"What's that noise?"

"I try not to think about it."

"What are those lights? What's down there?" He coughed again, waving a hand in front of his face to sweep away the smoke. "I just need to see", he said. He ran up to the screen in the front of the car and pointed the sonic at the display. His brain was running again as its usual speed and ideas were popping up. "There must be some sort of ventilation. If I could just transmit a pulse through this thing, maybe I could trip the system, give us a bit of a breeze. That's it! He said after a few minutes of struggling against wires. "Might shift the fumes a bit, give us a good look."

The two stared out from the bottom of the car.

"What are those shapes?"

As they spoke, huge snapping claws materialized in the fading smoke. If it was what the Doctor was thinking right now... Oh God...

"They're alive."

"What the hell are they?"

'They' now appeared to be extremely large crabs. The lights as their eyes.

"Macra." The Doctor said with a quite sinister tone.

* * *

The girl started roaming in the TARDIS' corridors. That was weird. She had just waken up from a deep drugged sleep and now she was walking normally in that... place. It was huge. She had seen quite a hundred doors and all the rooms were enormous. This place was fantastic. On the wooden panels, there were sometimes signs. Like 'The Doctor's rooms', 'Martha's rooms', 'Kitchen', 'Med-bay', or 'Wardrobe'. Wardrobe... That could be interesting. She opened the door to find herself in the most amazing wardrobe she had ever seen. Everywhere clothes were hanging, from all the eras and countries. She started wandering in that place, her hands touching the soft fabrics. She stopped in front of a wardrobe with on it 'Comatose Girl'... Comatose Girl was... HER! She opened it, pulling clothes from it and choosing the ones she was going to wear. "Good. You look good," she said to herself.

* * *

"The Macra used to be the scourge of this galaxy", explained the Doctor to the businessman beside him. "Gas. They fed off gas, the filthier the better. They built up a small empire using humans as slaves and mining gas for food."

"They don't exactly look like empire-builders to me."

"Well, that was billions of years ago. Billions. They must've devolved down the years and now they're just beasts. But they're still hungry and my friend's down there."

They looked up at the top of the car when a clank resounded. The capsule opened.

"Oh, it's like New Times Square in here, for goodness's sake!"

Feet dangled down and a cat jumped in.

"I've invented a sport!" Beamed the Doctor.

"Doctor, you're a hard man to find."

"No guns! I'm not having guns!" Said the man when he saw the cat's gun.

"I only brought this in case of pirates. Doctor, you've got to come with me."

"Do I know you?"

"You haven't aged at all. Time has been less kind to me."

"Novice Hame!" He said.

He embraced her, grinning. Before realizing who she was. The Novice Hame from the hospital when Rose had been possessed by Cassandra.

"No, hold on, get off. Last time we met, you were breeding humans for experimentation."

"I've sought forgiveness, Doctor, for so many years, under his guidance. And if you come with me, I might finally be able to redeem myself", she said.

"I'm not going anywhere. You've got Macra living underneath this city. Macra! And if my friend's still alive, she's stuck down there!"

"You've got to come with me right now!"

"No, no, no, you're coming with me. We've got three passengers now."

"I'm sorry, Doctor. But the situation is even worse than you can imagine..."

She took his wrist, and pressed a button on the green-lit metal wristband she was wearing. The Doctor's eyes widened. No, No! Not when he was so close to Martha!

"Transport."

"Don't you dare! Don't you dare!"

But it was too late. As he screamed, both of them vanished in a haze of white light as the businessman looked on in bewilderment.

* * *

She exited the dressing room and found her way through the halls to the other rooms. She discovered a huge garden where plants she had never heard about nor seen were growing fully. One of the golden-sanded paths guided her to an emerald lake in the centre of the room. She sat on the grass, just before a little beach and looked up. The ceiling was so high she couldn't see it. She had the feeling it was just the sky, as a soft sun was caressing her with its rays. She hummed.

* * *

They arrived in a dusty room, unkempt and empty. The Doctor looked at Novice Hame as they were both pulling themselves up after the transport.

"Oh! Rough teleport. Ow. But you can go straight back down and teleport people out, starting with Martha."

"I only had the power for one trip."

"Then get some more! Where are we?"

"High above, in the over-city."

"Good! 'Cause you can tell the Senate of New New York I'd like a word. They've got thousands of people trapped on the motorway! Millions!"

"But you're inside the Senate, right now. May the goddess Santori bless them."

They looked up, and sure enough, there were long rows of seats in a vast chamber. All of them contained skeletons.

"They died, Doctor. The city died."

"How long's it been like this?"

"Twenty-four years."

They walked towards a skeleton, lying on the ground, and the Doctor knelt down next to it. His anger was forgotten — he was now profoundly disturbed. The vision of all these corpses reminded him of somewhere else...

"All of them? Everyone? What happened?"

"A new chemical. A new mood. They called it Bliss."

She kneeled next to him and reached down, picking up a small circular token just like the ones the vendors were selling when the Doctor and Martha first arrived. This one, however, read, 'BLISS'.

"Everyone tried it. They couldn't stop. A virus mutated inside the compound and became airborne. Everything perished — even the virus, in the end. It killed the world in seven minutes flat. There was just enough time to close down the walkways and the flyovers, sealing off the under-city. Those people on the motorway aren't lost, Doctor. They were saved."

They were both standing now, struck by the urgency of the situation. Sadness and pain had taken their place in the man's gaze.

"So the whole thing down there is running on automatic?"

"There's not enough power to get them out. We did all we could to stop the system from choking."

"Who's "we"? How did you survive?"

"He protected me", she said, brightening. "And he has waited for you, these long years."

Not far off, a low, grumbling voice spoke. "Doctor."

The Doctor turned and dashed over to the Face of Boe, kneeling in front of it as he did in the hospital where they last met. Novice Hame followed. The Time Lord was happy for the first time since they arrived in New New York.

"The Face of Boe!" He beamed.

"I knew you would come."

"Back in the old days, I was made his nurse, as penance for my sins", explained Novice Hame even though nobody was listening to her.

"Old friend, what happened to you?"

"Failing."

"He protected me from the virus by shrouding me in his smoke. But with no one to maintain it, the City's power died. The under-city would have fallen into the sea."

"So he saved them."

"The Face of Boe wired himself into the mainframe. He's giving his life force just to keep things running", said Novice Hame, becoming The Face's voice.

"But there are planets out there. You could have called for help."

"The last act of the Senate was to declare New Earth unsafe. The automatic quarantine lasts for one hundred years."

The Doctor looked back at the Face of Boe, concerned, and then got up.

"So the two of you stayed here — on your own, for all these years."

"We had no choice."

The Doctor reached out to her, touched her shoulder. This cat had changed. This wasn't the one he had first met anymore. She was… human.

"Yes, you did."

"Save them, Doctor. Save them."

The Time Lord started to look at the computer, touching things. He put on his glasses and stared at the screen.

"Car Four Six Five Diamond Six — it still registers! That's Martha. I knew she was good. Novice Hame, hold that in place."

He jumped back from the screen and handed her a piece of thick tubing. Once she'd got it, he ran along its length, jumping over a box of lights and buttons.

"Think, think, think. Take the residual energy, invert it, feed it through the electricity beds", he babbled.

"There isn't enough power."

The Doctor reached his destination: a far wall with two screens, lots of wiring, and even more buttons.

"Ah, you've got power! You've got me! I'm brilliant with computers, just you watch."

He turned around and pointed to her, yelling, getting more excited all the time.

"Hame, every switch on that bank, up to maximum!"

The Doctor was rotating a knob in a console on the floor, aiming the sonic screwdriver at it as well. It was going to work.

"I can't power up the city, but all the city needs is people."

He banged his fist against the console and jumped up.

"So what are you going to do?"

"This!"

He flipped a two-metre-long switch on the floor, and all the lights on the consoles went out.

"No, no no no no, no!"

The Doctor, kneeling on the floor again, was waving his sonic screwdriver at another set of controls. He was starting to feel a bit of despair. Please, make it work!

"The transformers are blocked. The signal can't get through."

"Doctor …", started The Face of Boe.

"Yeah, hold on, not now."

"I give you my last …"

He let out a long, rasping breath, and every computer switched back on. Everything was working. Everything was powered. The Doctor leapped up again, suddenly illuminated.

"Hame, look after him! Don't you go dying on me, you big old face. You've got to see this."

He flicked the huge switch again. Novice Hame was busily turning a wheel next to the Face of Boe. It was working, it was working! They were free.

"The open road. Hah!"

The Doctor's face was buzzing into life on the screen at the front of the cars.

"Sorry, no Sally Calypso, she was just a hologram. My name's the Doctor", he explained. "And this is an order. Everyone drive up. Right now. I've opened the roof of the motorway. Come on. Throttle those engines. Drive up. All of you, the whole under-city. Drive up, drive up, drive up! Fast! We've got to clear that fast lane. Drive up and get out of the way. Oi! Car Four Six Five Diamond Six! Martha! Drive up! You've got access above! Now go!"

The Doctor, holding a microphone, was watching the proceedings from a viewscreen in the Senate room. Novice Hame continued to twirl a wheel next to the Face of Boe. The man was beaming.

"You keep driving, Brannigan, all the way up! 'Cause it's here, just waiting for you." He danced over to a window to look out at the over-city. "The city of New New York. And it's yours."

It was truly gorgeous — everywhere, cars were rising out of the under-city and flying around abandoned skyscrapers. And Martha was here. Safe.

"And don't forget — I want that coat back."

…

"And Car Four Six Five Diamond Six, I've sent you a flight path. Come to the Senate."

…

"It's been quite a while since I saw you, Martha Jones."

"Doctor!"

Novice Hame leaned desperately over the Face of Boe, as the case that enclosed him begins to crack. The Doctor looked to them, his face falling. No, it couldn't be. Not now.

* * *

Martha leaped happily into the Senate room, but was a bit subdued by the skeleton lying on the floor in front of her.

"Doctor?" She called.

"Over here."

"Doctor!" Smiling again, she ran to him.

"What happened out there?"

She found him kneeling, with Novice Hame, in front of the dying Face of Boe. She frowned. What was this... thing? Like a giant face with... hair? Veins?

"It's the Face of Boe. It's all right. Come and say hello. And this is Hame. She's a cat. Don't worry."

Martha approached the Face of Boe.

"He's the one that saved you, not me."

"My lord gave his life to save the city."

Martha kneeled next to Novice Hame, reverent.

"And now he's dying."

"No, don't say that. Not old Boe. Plenty of life left", denied the Doctor.

"It's good to breathe the air once more."

"Who is he?"

"I don't even know. Legend says the Face of Boe has lived for billions of years. Isn't that right? And you're not about to give up now."

"Everything has its time. You know that, old friend, better than most", whispered the Face.

"The legend says more", added the cat.

"Don't. There's no need for that."

"It says that the Face of Boe will speak his final secret to a traveller."

"Yeah, but not yet. Who needs secrets, eh?"

"I have seen so much. Perhaps too much. I am the last of my kind — as you are the last of yours, Doctor."

The Doctor was absolutely desperate now. He didn't want this at all. It was hitting him much harder than the death of this entire planet did. There was something familiar with Boe, like an old friend. Even if he didn't know him well.

"That's why we have to survive. Both of us. Don't go."

"I must. But know this, Time Lord. You are not alone."

Though before it seemed as though the Doctor would weep, now he was astounded — he stared, uncomprehending, as the Face of Boe's eyes closed for the last time. Martha looked on with respect, and Novice Hame began to sob. Martha was the first to stand, and the Doctor got up after a moment to put an arm around her shoulders. That was... weird. It couldn't be true. He knew The Face's reputation to speak the truth but he couldn't be. He was alone. He had seen them die! He had done it!

* * *

Back in the alley where Martha and the Doctor first met the pharmacists, the two travellers sauntered through again. It was deserted. A grin appeared on the man's face. He had gotten his coat back, everyone was happy now.

"All closed down", he beamed.

"Happy?"

"Happy happy."

Martha laughed softly. The Doctor inspected one of the empty booths.

"New New York can start again. And they've got Novice Hame. Just what every city needs — cats in charge! Come on, time we were off."

He began to stroll away, but Martha stayed put. "But what did he mean, the Face of Boe?" She asked.

The Doctor stopped and turned around.

"'You're not alone.'"

"I don't know."

Martha stepped toward him, smiling. "You've got me. Is that what he meant?"

The Doctor shook his head, the edges of his mouth twitching as if he was trying not to laugh at her. It was kind of terrible. For her as for him. "I don't think so. Sorry."

"Then what?"

"Doesn't matter. Back to the TARDIS, off we go."

As the Doctor turned away and headed off again, Martha grabbed a fallen chair next to her and pulled it up, sitting primly and folding her arms. The Doctor hearing her, turned around again.

"All right, you staying?"

"'Till you talk to me properly, yes. He said 'last of your kind.' What does that mean?"

The Doctor was trying to appear flippant. He was trying very hard.

"It really doesn't matter."

"You don't talk. You never say! Why not?"

Around them, the sound of music was rising. It was the new New New York citizens, singing another hymn. Instantly, Martha was enchanted. "It's the city. They're singing", she beamed.

The Doctor looked at her. This wasn't easy. He was desperate. He needed someone, someone like him and his companions were a bit of that but they were human, so human and he wanted a Time Lord to share with him all this inheritance. To share with him memories of their homeland, feelings of home. He took a deep breath.

"I lied to you, 'cause I liked it. I could pretend. Just for a bit, I could imagine they were still alive, underneath a burnt orange sky."

Martha was shocked, and so sad for him. He seemed to be so lonely at this point...

"I'm not just a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. The Face of Boe was wrong. There's no one else."

Martha shook her head slightly. "What happened?" She asked after a moment.

The Doctor stood for a moment, and then grabbed his own chair so he could sit across from her. The singing continued behind them but they didn't heard it. They were gone, as was Gallifrey, as the Doctor was describing it.

"There was a war. A Time War. The last Great Time War. My people fought a race called the Daleks, for the sake of all creation. And they lost. They lost. Everyone lost. They're all gone now. My family, my friends, even that sky. Oh, you should have seen it, that old planet. The second sun would rise in the south, and the mountains would shine. The leaves on the trees were silver, and when they caught the light every morning, it looked like a forest on fire. When the autumn came, the breeze would blow through the branches like a song …"

* * *

The girl was standing in front of the console, the tips of her fingers flushing against the levers and buttons. She seemed completely absorbed by her discovery, as she didn't noticed them enter the room. He had come out the front door, just as Martha did, a few seconds before him. And they were both wondering who she was. He approached her and she jerked out when he spoke to her.

"Who are you?"

She looked at him with wide eyes, opened by surprise and fear. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it as quickly. She didn't know where to start with. And for the simple reason she didn't know who she was, how she had come here in first place, what was this place. She just knew she was here.

"Who are YOU?" She said finally.

Answering a question by another question. Quite clever. He looked down at her – he was about ten centimeters taller- and tried to figure out why this girl seemed so familiar. The stranger ran a nervous hand through her hair, embarrassed by his stare.

"He's The Doctor", said the other woman, who had just started to understand. "And I'm Martha Jones."

"Martha Jones... Nice to meet you. And he's...the Doctor but Doctor who? Seriously, The Doctor's not a name."

"Just The Doctor", the man said after a few seconds. "And I'd like to know who's our guest."

"Is that important, really?"

"Doctor?" Started Martha.

"You're trying to dodge the question. Are you an amnesiac or do you just not want us to know, now? Because if the second solution is the right one, it's ok. I'm myself not telling my real name to anybody."

"Doctor!"

"Yes, I know, I'm being rude. That's all me that, rude and not ginger."

"Doctor. I'm not talking about you being rude or not, ginger or not. I'm talking about her. Look at her and please don't tell me you don't recognize her or I'll come to think you are the amnesic one."

The girl twisted her hands in discomfort. He glanced at her. Long black hair, pale complexion, perfect tan, crystal eyes, with a slight purple shade. He had seen her before. Not a long time ago. That was why Martha recognized her. Because it was her. The comatose with lights in her eyes. The fire girl as he liked to call her in his mind.

"The comatose."

The girl looked at him and waved a hand. She started to be a bit annoyed by this name they had given her.

"The comatose", he beamed again. "Oh, Molto Bene. I'm so glad to meet you finally. I've been waiting for this since we first met in this Royal... thing hospital."

"Royal Hope Hospital", corrected Martha.

"Anyway. Little question. How do you do to make your eyes glow this way? Not that I need it, even tough it would be great to read in the night, or in case of electrical shutdown... By the way, did you notice those shutdowns were caused by tiny little aliens named Ambries that live inside the wires and feed directly in it? That's brilliant, nope?"

He saw the girls staring at him with glassy eyes and decided to stop his storytelling for now.

"I just don't know", said the ex-comatose. "I woke up in this med-thing, with wires in my arms that disappeared in a blink. I went to this wardrobe and just dressed up with clothes that were strangely perfectly fitted. But really I don't know what I'm doing here."

"Well, you kinda saved the life of half of the Earth population with your lighty stuff."

"Oh. Well, I'm better than I thought I was."

"And you don't have any memory? Even a tiny little bit in some corner of your mind?"

"Not at all... Doctor."

She leaned against one of the Y-Beams, her head resting against the structure. He detailed the way she was dressed. Black tank top, cargo pants and black converse. She had a necklace with a star around her neck and a ring with two Gallifreyan jewels, a Karelone and a Shizanvhi. It suited her. She gazed at him too, smiling a bit. This man had saved her even though he didn't know her. He was brilliant. Skylight. She liked that word. Skylight. It was good.

"Do you want to stay with me?" He asked suddenly.

"What?" Said both the girl and Martha.

"Do you want to travel with me?"

"Travel?"

"Into time and space."

"You're kidding me, Doctor-man."

"No. You are in my ship. She's called the TARDIS."

"TARDIS? Strange name. I like it", she added.

"It stands for 'Time And Relative Dimension In Space'."

"TARDIS... Ok. Where can we go?"

"Anywhere. Anytime. Just you pick up."

"New York", she said, after a few seconds of hesitation.

"Ok, for New York. Martha, date?"

"1930's."

"Good choice..."

He started to enter coordinates and road plans into the TARDIS but stopped suddenly, looking up at the girl.

"What's your name?"

"I don't know."

"We have to find you a name..."

"You're talking like I'm a cat! I'm a human being, Doctor-man. Just like you and Martha!"

"Uh... Actually, not like me..."

"You're kidding me, right? Again. You're the silly-joke type."

"Nope. I'm an alien."

"What sort of alien? Wait a minute; aren't aliens supposed to look a bit weird? You look like a human!" She exclaimed.

"No, all aliens don't look weird. And technically YOU look Time Lord. We came first."

"So, you're a Time Lord... That's a bit of a name. Not pompous at all..." the girl started sarcastically.

"I said so too", added Martha, smiling at the girl.

"Anyway, can we go back to our conversation? Please?"

"Yep. So. A name. For me."

"What about... Cassandra?" Asked the companion.

"Nah! I met a Cassandra once. She possessed me," said the Doctor with a frown.

"Hum... Jane?"

"Too common", said the girl.

"Amelia?"

"Nope, that sounds too fairy tale."

"I know," finally interjected the Doctor. "What do you think of Dianna?"

"Dianna? I love it! Yeah, that's me. Definitely. Dianna."

"Last name? Martha, any idea?"

"Stoker. Dianna Stoker."

The girl repeated the name in her mind a few times. She liked it. It suited her. She was Dianna Stoker. She looked up at the two others who were looking at her with expecting eyes.

"Perfect, she declared. Hi. I'm Dianna Stoker. I'm from London. I'm 26. I travel into time and space with a man who calls himself 'The Doctor', inside a blue box that's bigger on the inside. Why are you running away?" She said, with a cheeky smile.

They laughed. She was part of the team now. The Doctor, Martha Jones and Dianna Stoker.


	4. Daleks in Manhattan

Dianna Stoker had just gone through her very first conscious TARDIS travel. She was feeling a few bruises aching on her body. A bit bumpy. Yeah, yeah a bloody bit bumpy. She held onto the console as her life was depending on it but the violence of the jolt made her fall on the floor. It wasn't comfy. Nope.

"You okay?" The Doctor asked with a concerned look on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine, really, don't mind me."

"We've materialized! Come on, stop chatting and come to see!" Martha shouted from the doorstep. She disappeared behind the wooden panel.

The two others quickly followed, Dianna a bit more expectantly. The girl had picked up a long brown overcoat, similar to the Doctor's but it was for women and in leather.

"Ah, smell that Atlantic breeze. Nice and cold. Lovely. Martha, have you met my friend?" The alien beamed as his companion turned around to look up at the Statue of Liberty.

"Is that-? Oh my God! That's the Statue of Liberty!"

"What do you think? You think I'd lost us in the Universe? Then, here we are, New York and The Statue of Liberty... Gateway to the New World. 'Give me you tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to break free…'" He started declaim in a sort of solemnity that didn't suit him well.

"That's so brilliant. I've always wanted to go to New York." Dianna muttered behind them.

Even tough she didn't have any memory of who she was before waking up in the TARDIS, she knew a lot of things. Like what she liked and disliked, geography, history. The only thing she couldn't think remember was personal memories like her childhood or things like that. Martha glanced at her and turned back to the Doctor with a meaningful smile.

"I think she means the real New York, not the new, new, new, new, new…"

They walked to a viewpoint where a splendid Manhattan came to their view. The two humans beamed as the Doctor grinned. He continued his explanations with this mad genius that was his.

"Well, there's the genuine article. So good, they named it twice. Mind you, it was New Amsterdam originally. Harder to say twice. Now wonder it didn't catch on. New Amsterdam, New Amsterdam."

"Look, the Empire State Building's not even finished yet." The former comatose remarked.

"Work in progress. Still got a couple floors to go, and if I know my history, that makes the date somewhere around- "

"November 1, 1930." Martha said.

"You're getting good at this." The Doctor smiled before noticing she was holding a newspaper in her hand.

"Eighty years ago." Dianna smiled.

"It's funny 'cause you see all those old newsreels in black and white like it's so far away, but here we are. It's real. It's now." The other human said.

"Come on, you. Where do we go first?"

"I think our detour just got longer," muttered the Doctor when he saw the headlines of the newspaper.

"'Hooverville Mystery Deepens.'" She looked up at The Doctor and Dianna who was looking at her with genuine interest and full excitement. "What's Hooverville?" The girl asked.

* * *

"Herbert Hoover, 31st President of the USA, came to power a year ago. Up till then New York was a boom town, the Roaring Twenties, and then…" The Doctor was explaining to the two humans.

"The Wall Street Crash, yeah? When was that, 1929?"

"Yeah. Whole economy wiped out overnight. Thousands of people unemployed. Suddenly the huddled masses doubled in number with nowhere to go. So they ended up here in Central Park." finished the alien after greeting Martha of an appreciative look.

"What? They actually live in the park? In the middle of the city?" said the other.

They arrived at Hooverville; a collection of quickly put together shacks and tents with random fire barrels placed throughout. Dianna looked sadly around her. This wasn't right. The people she was seeing trying to keep themselves warm weren't meant to be there.

"Ordinary people. Lost their jobs. Couldn't pay the rent and they lost everything. There are places like this all over America. You only come to Hooverville when there's nowhere else to go."

A few residents started to gather around some place in what seemed to be the center of the town. A man was confronting another resident.

"Now think real careful before you lie to me." The one who seemed to be the leader said.

"I'm starvin', Solomon." pleaded the other man.

Solomon held out his hand and he reached under his coat and pulled out a piece of bread, handing it over to the chief.

"We're all starvin'." He said, breaking the bread in half and handing each man a half. "We all got families somewhere. No stealin' and no fightin'. You know the rules. Thirteen years ago I fought in the Great War. A lot of us did. And the only reason we got through was because we stuck together! No matter how bad things get, we still act like human beings. It's all we got."

The little crowd returned to the usual occupations.

"Come on." The Doctor said to the girls before walking towards Solomon and calling him. "I suppose that makes you the boss around here."

"And, uh, who might you be?" asked the man.

"He's the Doctor. I'm Martha." explained the girl.

Dianna cast a look towards her before adding. "And I'm Dianna."

"A doctor." Solomon scoffed. "Well, we got, uh, stockbrokers, we got a lawyer, but you're the first doctor. Neighborhood gets classier by the day."

"How many people live here?"

"At any one time, hundreds. No place else to go. But I will say this about Hooverville. We are a truly equal society, black, white, all the same. All starving." He had a bitter laugh. "So you're welcome. Both of you. But tell me, Doctor, you're a man of learning, right? Explain this to me." He pointed the Empire State Building and the three travellers looked up at it. "That there's going to be the tallest building in the world. How come they can do that, and we got people starving in the heart of Manhattan?"

"So…men are going missing. Is this true?" asked The Doctor, holding up the newspaper.

Dianna was silent. She had the feeling Martha didn't like her a lot. She hadn't done anything for that. But, thinking of it... Martha had been there longer than her, consciously speaking. And seeing The Doctor adding the ex-comatose they had rescued times ago to the team that easily... It might be a bit awkward.

"It's true all right." Solomon said, entering his tent.

The Doctor and the girls stayed at the opening of it.

"But what does missing mean? Men must come and go here all the time. It's not like anyone's keeping a register," remarked Dianna.

"C'mon in." He demanded to the group who quickly entered and sat down. "This is different."

"In what way?"

"Someone takes them. At night. We hear something. Someone calls out for help. By the time we get there, they're gone. Like they vanish into thin air."

"And you're sure someone's taking them?" The skepticism in the Doctor's voice was clear.

"Doctor, when you got next to nothing, you hold on to the little you got. Your knife, blanket, you take it with you. You don't leave bread uneaten, fire still burning."

"Have you been to the police?" asked Martha. Dianna restrained a laugh, turning into a little cough. What was she seriously thinking?

"Yeah, we tried that. Another deadbeat goes missing, big deal."

"So, the question is, who's taking them and what for?"

A young man entered the tent, casting a curious look at the three travellers.

"Solomon, Mr. Diagoras is here."

Solomon stood up quickly and the others followed him outside where a man was speaking to the homeless.

"I need men. Volunteers. I got a little work for you and you sure look like you can use the money." He said with a bad irony.

"Yeah. What is the money?"

"A dollar a day."

The men started to grumble.

"What's the work?" asked Solomon.

"A little trip down the sewers. Got a tunnel that collapsed needs clearing and fixing. Any takers?"

The Doctor had the feeling that wasn't just a 'little trip'.

"A dollar a day? That's slave wage. Men don't always come back up, do they?"

"Accidents happen."

"What do you mean? What sort of accidents?" asked the Doctor.

Neither he nor Martha had noticed the unoccupied spot besides them, where Dianna had been a few seconds before. The girl was struggling against her kidnappers, her chucks dragging mounts of earth along her, her fists trying to knock the... things. Some pig men. She still heard the men talking a few tents away and sometimes the voice of The Doctor.

"You don't need the work? That's fine. Anybody else? Enough with the questions."

"Oh, n-n-no. I'm volunteering."

What? What was this man thinking? He was volunteering for a suicide mission while some pig men were dragging her along to some unknown destination.

She felt the creatures gathering behind her and suddenly, she was pulled more violently. Her head hit something hard and she felt herself drifting away.

* * *

She woke up, feeling dizzy again. Her eyes focused on the other people in there waiting for something or someone to come, all terrified and shaking.

"Hello." Nobody answered but a few heads turned her way. "My name is Dianna. Dianna Stoker."

She fought to get up. A girl was looking at her in a curious way. She seemed to be just 8 or 9 years old. Her clothes were all shreds and she was tugging a ball of cloths in her hands. Dianna tumbled a bit on her feet, trying to approach this girl. She looked smart and she needed smart people to help getting them out of this mess. This situation that was almost supernatural. Extraterrestrial. Pig men.

"What's your name?" She said with a sweet tone. The girl stared at her.

"Marley." Her voice was a whisper.

"That's a beautiful name. How old are you?"

"I'm 13."

Dianna's eyes widened. This girl seemed much younger but that may had been due to starving and the life outside. Marley had a little smile.

"You thought I was younger. They all think that."

"Yeah... So, Marley can you tell me where we are?"

"Of course. We're in the sewers under Central Park. We're in the shelter of the Four from Skaro."

* * *

"Turn left. Go about half a mile. Follow Tunnel 273. Fall's right ahead of you. You can't miss it." The Diagoras man said, indicating direction in which they were to go. They were all in the sewers.

"And when do we get our dollar?" asked the younger.

"When you come back up."

"And if we don't come back up?" demanded the Doctor.

"Then I got no one to pay." The smile of the man was sick.

"We'll be back."

"Let's hope so." muttered Martha.

The Doctor looked right into the man's eyes. There was a fear in them. Something was going on. He was lying through his teeth and was forced to do so by a superior intelligence and/or force.

"We just gotta stick together. It's easy to get lost. It's like a huge rabbit warren. You could hide an army down here." explained the youngest of the group, maybe to reassure himself.

"So what about you, Frank? You're not from around these parts, are you?" asked Martha.

"Oh, you could talk. No, no, I'm from Tennessee, born and bred."

"So how come you're here?"

"Uh, my daddy died." He started to explain. "Mama…couldn't afford to feed us all. So, I'm the oldest, up to me to feed myself, so put on my coat, hitched up here on the railroads. There's a whole lot of runaways in camp younger than me. From all over; Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas… Solomon keeps a lookout for us. So, what about you? You're a long way from home."

"Yeah, I'm just a hitcher too." Martha sighed.

"You stick with me, you'll be all right."

She looked up at him and smiled. Before them, The Doctor and Solomon were talking.

"So this Diagoras bloke, who is he then?"

"A couple of months ago, he was just another foreman. Now it seems like he's running most of Manhattan."

"How did he manage that, then?" The alien asked.

"These are strange times. A man can go from being King of the Hill to the lowest of the low overnight. It's just for some folks it works the other way 'round."

"Whoa!" exclaimed the Doctor.

There was a blob on the ground, giving off a sick green light. Martha frowned at the sight. It was a bit disgusting. "Is it radioactive or something?" She watched as the Doctor crouched beside it and leaned forward. The smell made her wince and she covered her nose and mouth. "It's gone off, whatever it is. And you've got to pick it up." She sighed when the Time Lord took the blob in his hand, after putting his specs on.

The Doctor sniffed it. "Shine your torch through it." He observed it. "Composite organic matter. Martha? Medical opinion?"

"It's not human. I know that."

"No, it's not." He said as Solomon and Franck looked slightly puzzled by their discovery. He always had a problem to remember that all people didn't know about alien life forms. "And I'll tell you something else. We must be at least half a mile in and I don't see any sign of a collapse, do you? So why did Mr Diagoras send up down here?"

"So where are we now? What's above us?"

"Well…we're right underneath Manhattan." He looked around the group and finally noticed something. "Wait... Where's Dianna?"

They all stared at each other.

"I didn't see her since the meeting with Diagoras." Martha remembered. "She was beside us and then, nothing."

"Hooverville Mystery deepens..." Said The Doctor with a dark, sinister voice.

"We're way beyond half a mile. There's no collapse, nothing.," continued Solomon.

"That Diagoras bloke, was he lying?" asked Martha even if she knew what was the answer.

"Looks like it."

"So why did he want people to come down here?"

"Solomon, I think it's time you took these two back. I'll be much quicker on my own." started the Doctor when a squeal echoed in the tunnels.

"What the hell was that?" asked the african-american.

"Hello?!"

"Shh." hushed the girl.

"Frank." warned the leader when the young man started to walk towards the origin of the sound.

"What if it's one of the folk gone missing? You'd be scared, half-mad down here on your own."

"Do you think they're still alive?"

"Heck, we ain't seen no bodies down here. Maybe they just got lost."

They heard more squealing, making them all shiver.

"I know I never heard nobody make a sound like that."

"Sounds like there's more than one of 'em."

"This way." indicated the alien.

"No, that way." said Solomon when the light of his torch caught a huddled figure on the ground.

"Doctor…"

The Doctor rejoined them. He didn't seem a lot focused on the situation. In fact, he was completely worried about Dianna. He had just met her but she seemed smart and he already liked her. And there was something surely familiar about her.

"Who are you?"

"Are you lost? Can you understand me? I've been thinkin' about folk lost…"

"It's all right, Frank. Just stay back. Let me have a look." The Time Lord walked towards the figure, snapping back into reality, his curiosity taking advantage over worry. "He's got a point, though, my mate Frank. I'd hate to be stuck down here on my own. We know the way out. Daylight. If you want to come with us." He squatted and shone a light in the thing's face. It was a mix between a pig and a man. "Oh, but what are you?"

"Is, uh, that some kind of carnival mask?"

"No, it's real. I'm sorry. Now listen to me. I promise I can help. Now, who did this to you?"

"Doctor, I think you'd better get back here." Martha warned, getting a bad feeling. She actually saw more pig men coming out. "Doctor!"

"Actually…good point." He stood up and get back to where the others where standing but the creatures seemed to follow."

"They're following you."

"Yeah, I noticed that, thanks. Well then, Martha, Frank, Solomon…"

"What?"

"Um, basically…run!"

They raced down the sewers, trying to escape the chase. The pig men were following them. Martha started to panic. What were they doing?

"Where are we going?!" She asked.

"This way!" He turned right and all, including the pig men, followed. "There's a ladder!"

The Doctor climbed the ladder and used the sonic screwdriver on the lid. Martha followed. Solomon hesitated when he saw Frank pick up a metal rod to try and held them off.

"Frank!" He tried to reach the folk's hands. "C'mon, Frank! C'mon!"

"I've got ya. C'mon!" said The Doctor.

The pig men pulled Frank out of their grasp and down into the sewer.

"Frank!"

"No!" Solomon shoved the Doctor aside and closed the lid before one of the pig men climbed up. "We can't go after him." sighed the leader as the alien was casting him a incomprehensive look.

"We gotta go back down! We can't just leave him!"

"No, I'm not losing anybody else! Those creatures were from Hell! From Hell itself!" He started to shout. "If we go after them, they'll take us all! There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry."

A woman, a showgirl, stepped from behind shelves and pointed a gun at them, looking dangerous. She was wearing a costume. She had blond hair, curled up in a really 30's way.

"All right then. Put 'em up."

Martha was the only to respond immediately at the demand.

"Hands in the air and no funny business." The woman tried again, cocking the gun.

The other followed.

"Now tell me, you schmucks, what've you done with Lazlo?" the woman asked.

"Uh, who's Lazlo?"

* * *

The girl explained the situation to Dianna. She knew about aliens, but the statement of this teenager about creatures in steel armor was quite frightening. Another man was shoved in the room where they were all waiting. She recognized it to be the young man from earlier... Frank. Where were The Doctor and Martha? Were they all right?

"You're alone Marley?" she suddenly asked after a few moments.

"Yes, miss. My parents died."

"What were their names?"

"John and Dianna Smith." she answered.

"Dianna... Just like me."

"My mom looked a lot like you. But her eyes were purple. A deep purple."

"That's unusual." She smiled.

"Everything was unusual about them. My dad was a doctor. Doctor John Smith. And my mom... She was a nurse. They were the most perfect parents in the world. I always wanted to be like them. To save the world everyday. Because the most important thing in the Universe is a single human life. Because humans are brilliant. I've never really understood this part of the story."

Dianna looked at the girl.

"And you? Are you alone?"

"No." She sighed. "I'm not alone. I have two friends. The Doctor and Martha. They're out there searching for me. I've just met them. I know nothing about them. But I trust them." There was a sadness in her voice and, she started to tell a story, the story of another world, the world from her nightmares and her dreams, the world she felt a home, people gathered around her.

"Once upon a time, in a far of land called 'The Shining World of the Seven Systems'. A girl whose name was known by only a few was standing, watching her city burn to the ground. She had black hair and, in her crystal eyes, there were the same fires that were destroying her world. She couldn't help but smile, she couldn't help but feel powerful, all mighty. She knew something was out to get her and she knew she had to run and hide. But she just waited for HIM to arrive. To save her from the Fires. His name was a secret too. He had told her once. And she had never forgotten it. As he had never forgotten hers..."

* * *

"Lazlo's my boyfriend, or was my boyfriend until two weeks ago." The showgirl started to explain. "No letter, no good-bye, no nothin'. And I'm not stupid." She waved the gun as she talked, making the three other look a bit frightened by the weapon. "I know some guys are just pigs but not my Lazlo. I mean, what kinda guy asks you to meet his mother before he vamooses?"

"It might, might just help if you put that down."

"Hunh?" She seemed to only notice she was holding a gun. "Oh, sure." She tossed it away. "Oh, c'mon. It's not real. It's just a prop. It was either that or a spear."

"What do you think happened to Lazlo?" asked Martha.

"I wish I knew. One minute he's there, the next, zip—vanished."

"Listen, ah—what's your name?" asked the Doctor.

"Tallulah." she answered.

"Tallulah." he started again.

"3 Ls and an H." she added.

"Right. Um, we can try to find Lazlo, but he's not the only one. There are people disappearing every night."

"And there are creatures. Such creatures." muttered Solomon.

"Whaddaya mean 'creatures'?"

"Look. Listen, just trust me. Everyone is in danger. I need to find out exactly what this is because then I'll know exactly what we're fighting." He showed her the blob he had removed from his pocket.

"Yech!"

* * *

Tallulah was putting on her makeup for the performance. Martha watched her from the other seat.

"Lazlo…He'll wait for me after the show, walk me home like I was a lady. He'd leave a flower for me on my dressing table. Every day, just a single rose."

"Haven't you reported him missing?" the traveller asked.

"Sure. He's just a stagehand. Who cares? The management certainly don't." Her voice was bitter.

"Can't you kick up a fuss or something?"

"Okay, so then they fire me."

"But they'd listen to you. You're one of the stars."

"Oh, honey, I got one stone in a back street revue and that's only because Heidi Chicane broke her ankle—which had nothin' to do with me whatever anybody says. I can't afford to make a fuss. If I don't make this month's rent, then before you know it, I'm in Hooverville." She explained.

"Okay, I get it."

"It's the Depression, sweetie. Your heart might break, but the show goes on and if it stops, you starve. Every night I have to go out there, sign, dance, keep goin'. Hoping he's gonna come back."

"I'm sorry." Genuinely said Martha, hugging her.

Tallulah pulled out of the hug, wiping her eyes.

"Hey, you're lucky, though. You got yourself a forward thinking guy with that hot potato in the sharp suit."

"Uh, he's not—we're not…together." Martha blushed.

"Oh, sure you are. I've seen the way you look at him. It's obvious."

If it could be so obvious to him...

"Not to him."

"Oh, I shoulda realized. He's into musicals, huh? What a waste."

Martha shook her head as Tallulah misunderstood.

"Still, ya gotta live in hope. It's the only thing that's kept me going 'cause… look. On my dressing table every day still." She showed Martha a white rose.

"You think it's Lazlo?"

"I don't know. If he's still around, why's he bein' all secret like he doesn't want me to see him?" she asked.

* * *

"The night was the darkest he had ever seen and the fire was eating the silhouette of the girl with such violence and speed... It was beautiful in the black sky, this giant torch. It was so sad and beautiful. He had promised to save her. And he had failed. He turned his back on the flames and walked away, the wind battling his long coat... He stepped inside his magical blue box and let a few tears roll onto his cheeks when he saw her smile in his mind. The police box disappeared into thin air and the fire finished to devour her body..." She finished.

How many minutes had just gone away while she was telling this story? She didn't know. Maybe just a few. Maybe a whole hour. She looked around her. Marley had tears in her eyes and Dianna realized herself was crying as well. Her sobs became deeper and deeper and shook her. She felt the arms of the girl around her. And she felt comfort.

"Thank you."

* * *

"Girls, it's show time!" Tallulah shouted in the backstage.

In the balcony, The Doctor was observing the blob. "This is artificial."

"Ladies and gentlemen…" the announcer was, well, announcing.

"Genetically engineered. Whoever this is, oh, you're clever."

"…with Heaven and Hell!

The curtains opened and we saw chorus girls dressed in red sequined dresses with tails and horns. As they parted, Tallulah appeared in white with wings and a halo. She sashayed up and took the microphone. She began to sing. "You lured me in with your cold grey eyes / Your simple smile and your bewitching lies / One and one and one is three / My bad, bad angel, the Devil and me / You put the devil in me / You put the devil in me / You put the devil in me. You put the Devil in me "

As the dance started, Martha saw a pig man who looked different from the others, standing in the opposite wings, watching intently. She cut across the stage, hiding behind the girls. "What are you doing?" Martha ignored her and moved to the next girl, accidentally grabbing her tail, causing her to fall. "You're on my tail! Get off my tail!" said another showgirl.

The Doctor was still trying to figure out what was the blob, now putting his stethoscope on it. "Fundamental DNA type 467-989. 989. Hold on, that means planet of origin..." His eyes widened in disbelief. "Skaro." He rushed off.

"Get off the stage. You're spoiling it!" said Tallulah to Martha.

The girl was trying to reach the pig man she had seen earlier.

"But look. Over there!"

The pig man realized he'd been spotted and was startled. Tallulah screamed and he ran away.

"Hey!" Martha ran after him. The pig man ran through the halls, the girl still following. "Wait! But you're different than the others! Just wait!"

In the prop room, Martha heard a clanging but the pig man was gone. She was about to come back but something emerged from the shadows and she screamed when it attacked her. No, she didn't want to be taken. She needed to stay with the Doctor. She needed him. She was dragged by a few pig men even if she was struggling hard. They took her down to the sewers. "No! Let me go!"  
They pushed her against the wall. More pig men came with humans in a line; among them she recognized Frank and Dianna. The woman was holding the hand of a girl. She seemed to be in her pre-teens, she had short chestnut spiky hair and crystal eyes just like the ex-comatose. She looked like a mix of the Doctor and Dianna. That was impossible!

Frank saw her and her face lit up. "Martha."

"You're alive!" She said, hugging him. "And you too!" She continued to Dianna who nodded, smiling.

"Hey."

"I thought we'd lost you."

A pig man pushed them to keep moving. "All right! All right, we're moving." snapped the traveller.

"Wait. Where are they taking us?" asked Frank.

"I don't know, but we can find out what's going on down here."

They continued to walk and suddenly, at a cross, everyone stopped. Martha had taken time to talk with Frank and to observe Dianna. The girl seemed to have cried. She had a huge sadness in her gaze and she was holding on the girl's hand more than the girl's was holding on hers.

"What are they keeping us here for?"

"I don't know. I've just got a nasty feeling that we're being kept in the larder." She shivered.

"What're they doing? What's wrong? What's wrong?" started Franck as the pig man squealed.

A sort of metal box glided into the tunnel. Dianna froze. Some instinctive fear was freezing her on spot. It was an alien. A real proper alien. That looked like an alien. She felt Marley squeezing her hand. "Silence. Silence". The voice was metallic and frightening.

"What the Hell is that?" asked Martha.

"You will form a line. Move." continued the figure.

"Just do what it says, everyone, okay? Just obey." shouted Dianna to the group. Her voice was shaking.

"The female is wise. Obey!" Said the box. Another one arrived. "Report."

"These are strong specimens. They will help the Dalek cause." answered it.

"Dalek?" muttered Martha.

"Dalek." whispered the other girl in agreement.

"What is the status of the Final Experiment?" continued the one who seemed to be the leader.

"The Dalekanium is in place. The energy conductor is now complete."

"Then I will extract the prisoners for selection."

A pig man dragged an older black man forward. The Dalek extended one of its 'arms' towards his face. "Intelligence scan. Initiate. Reading bran waves. Low intelligence."

"You calling me stupid?" The man gasped.

"This one will become a pig slave." At these words, the other pig men pulled the poor man away.

"No, let go of me! I'm not becoming one of them!" His shouts echoed in the tunnels.

The Dalek moved along the line. "Intelligence scan. Initiate."

"Superior intelligence." said the alien in front of Frank, then for Martha.

"Intelligence scan. Initiate. Superior intelligence. This one will become part of the Final Experiment." That was for Dianna.

Then, Marley's turn arrived. And she was declared of low intelligence. Dianna's heart clenched. No! It couldn't be. No, she wasn't going to be taken.

Something was happening. She felt the need to protect the girl against the Daleks. She didn't know why. She just knew. This girl was special. This girl needed protection. She started to hit the pig men who were trying to grab Marley. She growled and she screamed like a beast. She was a beast trying to protect her child. What mattered the most in the whole Universe. She felt it. She needed to protect her baby. And this baby was Marley. The girl was watching her with wide eyes, watching the tears of despair falling on her cheeks as they succeeded to take her away. Dianna didn't care about the looks Martha, Frank and the others gave her. She just cared about the face of the girl when she was taken by the pig men. Away from her. She cried, she sobbed, she wrapped her arms tightly around herself. She wanted to yell, to rip the Daleks into shreds. "You can't just experiment on people! It's insane! It's inhuman!"

"We are not human. Prisoners of high intelligence will be taken to the transgenic laboratory."

She didn't say anything else. She saw Marley again and again in her head. She almost didn't notice the Doctor falling into line with them. She looked at him and she felt his hand squeezing hers. He had seen it all. Then, she felt shameful to have given such a spectacle of herself. But he didn't seem to put her down for that. He had a smile. A little comprehensive smile. She just wanted to hug him.

"Just keep walking." he muttered.

"I'm so glad to see you." said Martha.

"Yeah, well, you can kiss me later. You too, Frank, if you want. And Dianna, it would be a pleasure." He answered. He didn't focus on them. He focused on her. She was broken. He had seen how she had tried to save the girl. Like the girl meant something big for her. And to see her cry like that was heart-breaking.

They continued their journey to a sort of laboratory. There was another Dalek in there. Dianna felt the need to run across them and hit the metal armor hard. But she didn't do it. Because she knew it would mean death.

"Report." said one of them, just like he did earlier.

"Dalek Sec is in the final stage of evolution." answered the new one.

"Scan him. Prepare for birth." concluded the first.

"Evolution?" muttered the Doctor.

"What's wrong with old Charlie boy over there?" asked Martha.

"Ask them." The Doctor just gave her that. Ask yourself.

"What me? Don't be daft."

"I don't exactly want to get noticed. Ask them what's going on."

"If you two don't want to go, I'm going." said the voice of Dianna from beside them.

She took a deep breath and a step forward. "Daleks, I demand to be told. What is the Final Experiment? Report!"

One of the aliens wheeled towards her. "You will bear witness."

"To what?"

"This is the dawn of a new age." he continued.

"What does that mean?" she asked again.

"We are the only four Daleks so the species must evolve a life outside the shell. The Children of Skaro must walk again."

Behind the one who had just spoken, another's shell powered down and the casing opened to reveal a human-dalek hybrid. They all gasped. The clothing was unmistakably that of Diagoras. The Doctor's eyes widened. The head was similar to a Dalek body with mouth, one eye, and tentacles. The hands are almost claw-like. It was an abomination.

"What is it?"

"I am a human-Dalek. I am your future."


	5. Evolution of the Daleks

**Hello everyone!**

**Now I'm back with a new chapter of 'Fire in Her Eyes'. Here is 'Evolution of the Daleks'. **

**Thanks to all those who are now following this story and to all those who favorited it. Thanks to my dear, dear aWeSoMeLuNaTiC. **

**Enjoy and don't forget that reviews are appreciated. **

**Too hard to be called Love**

* * *

They stared at the figure, completely astonished and horrified by the vision.

"These…humans will become like me."

The Doctor slipped behind some machinery, unnoticed. Dianna was still looking at the Human-Dalek with fear roaring inside of her, telling her to run away. Now. But something else was freezing her to the ground. The knowledge that if she tried to run away, the creature would kill her without any hesitation.

"Prepare them for hybridisation."

The pig slaves closed in on the prisoners. Martha struggled all she could, crying, kicking. "Leave me alone! Don't you dare!"Where was the Doctor? He had disappeared again from view. Dianna looked around as the beginning of 'Happy Days Are Here Again' started playing.

"What is that sound?" asked the creature.

The Doctor stepped out, a radio in his hands. He heard a sigh of relief coming from Dianna and tried not to smile at it.

"That would be me. Hello. Surprise. Boo. Etc."

"Doctor." greeted the creature.

"The enemy of the Daleks." continued one of the other aliens.

"Exterminate." finished another one.

"Wait." commanded the humanoid.

"Well, then. A new form of Dalek." He walked forward a sort of curiosity painted on his face? "Fascinating and very clever."

"The Cult of Skaro escaped your slaughter."

"Skaro..." muttered the comatose, earning a look from Martha. She was shivering slightly.

"How did you end up in 1930?" The Doctor asked, a genuine interest in his voice. How could it be possible? Every time he thought they were dead and destroyed for good, they were appearing again, death and destruction behind them, leaving him alone and dark.

"Emergency Temporal Shift."

"Oh, that must have roasted up your power cells, yeah?" He scoffed before striding away, looking about. "Time was, four Daleks could have conquered the world but instead your skulking away, hidden in the dark, experimenting. All of which results in you."

"I am Dalek in human form." said the creature.

"What does it feel like? You can talk to me, Dalek Sec. It is Dalek Sec, isn't it? That's your name? You've got a name and a mind of your own. Tell me what you're thinking right now." The Doctor leaned in, staring at it.

"I… feel… humanity." was the answer of Dalek Sec, after a few seconds of hesitation.

"Good. That's good." nodded the Doctor.

"I… feel… everything we wanted from mankind, which is ambition, hatred, aggression and war. Such… a genius for war."

Dianna's blood started to boil. No. Humanity wasn't that. "No, that's not what humanity means."

"I think it does. At heart, this species is so very… Dalek." answered Dalek Sec, staring at the girl like he was trying to remember something.

"All right, so what have you achieved then? With this Final Experiment, eh? Nothing! 'Cause I can show you what you're missing with this thing." The Doctor pointed the radio and patted it. "Simple little radio."

"What is the purpose of that device?"

"Well, exactly. It plays music. What's the point of that? Oh, with music, you can dance to it, sing with it, fall in love to it. Unless you're a Dalek of course. Then its just noise."

The Doctor aimed the sonic screwdriver at the radio and a high pitch wail emanated from it. Sec held his head in pain while the other Daleks acted erratically. The Time Lord turned to the prisoners. Dianna was looking at the creatures with fear in her gaze. He had never seen a fear and a hatred like this in human eyes before. She was dangerous, he thought when she looked up at him. Their gazes crossed and he held her for a few seconds before turning away. Something was lurking in the crystal depth of her irises. Something huge. And powerful. He snapped back into reality.

"Run!" he shouted to the prisoners.

The prisoners escaped and the Doctor followed them. Besides him, was running the ex-comatose. He looked at her while they were racing for their lives. It wasn't normal. She was just out of a severe coma and now she was just running. Like she had always been right.

Suddenly they all stopped as Martha, who was leading the way was unsure of which way to go. He rushed past her. "Come on! Move, move, move, move, move!"

They ran down a tunnel to find Tallulah.

"And you, Tallulah! Run!"

"What's happened to Lazlo?" she asked.

The pig slaves and two Daleks were following. Adrenalin was running into Dianna's veins. Lazlo slipped away. The Doctor led everyone to a ladder.

"C'mon! Everyone up!"

* * *

The party of prisoners returned to Hooverville. They were gathered around a fire, Martha and Tallulah sitting on crates. Dianna stood next to The Doctor.

"These Daleks, they sound like the stuff of nightmares. And they wanna breed?" asked Solomon whom they had rejoined.

"They're splicing themselves into human bodies. If I'm right, they've got a farm of breeding stock right here in Hooverville. We've got to get everyone out."

"Hooverville's the lowest place a man can fall. There's nowhere else to go," explained the leader.

"I'm sorry, Solomon. You've got to scatter. Go anywhere. Down to the railroads, travel across state, just get out of New York."

"There's got to be a way to reason with these things." Solomon continued.

"There's not a chance." said Dianna. "Daleks aren't human. They can't be reasoned out of their decisions." It sounded true. She didn't know why she had said that but... she felt it.

"You ain't seen 'em, boss." added Frank.

"Daleks are bad enough at anytime, but right now they're vulnerable and that makes them more dangerous than ever." The Doctor finished, still a little puzzled by what Dianna had said. She seemed to know about the Daleks. He shook his head out of the idea. She wasn't normal. There was something more beneath her surface.

"They're coming! They're coming!" yelled a sentry, rushing into the circle around the fire. "They're here! I've seen 'em! Monsters! They're monsters!"

"It's started." The Doctor's voice was dark.

"We're under attack! Everyone to arms!" shouted Solomon.

The men started passing out the guns and other weapons they had collected

"I'm ready, boss, but al o' you! Find a weapon! Use anything!" Frank started to run among the others.

Some of the residents ran off.

"Come back! We got to stick together! It's not safe out there! Come back!" tried the leader. But it was too late. The pig slaves invaded Hooverville, attacking those who tried to escape.

"We need to get out of the park." said Martha.

"We can't! They're on all sides. They're driving people back towards us." explained the Time Lord. He looked panicked and couldn't stop himself from running again and again his hands in his hair.

"We're trapped." Dianna added with the same sinister tone the Doctor had used a few seconds back.

"Then we stand together. Gather 'round. Everybody come to me. You there, Jethro, Harry, Seamus, stay together."

The pig slaves had forced everyone into a tight circle by the fire.

"They can't take all of us." Solomon started firing at the pigs.

"If we can just hold them off till daylight."

"Oh, Martha, Dianna, they're just the foot soldiers." The Doctor said, looking skywards.

Everyone turned and looked up.

"Oh, my God."

A Dalek was flying above, heading towards them. Dianna closed her eyes tightly before reopening them. But it was still here. They were going to die. She felt the Doctor's presence besides her and she instinctively leaned towards him. He put an arm around her shoulders, feeling her shaking in fright against him.

"What in this world-" started Solomon.

"It's the devil. A devil in the sky. God save us all. It's damnation." sobbed the sentry.

"Oh yeah? We'll see about that!" Frank fired at the Dalek but the bullets did no damage. The Doctor pushed his rifle down with his free hand. The other one was stroking Dianna's shoulder. He wasn't aware of Martha's glare. He just felt the need to protect her.

"That's not gonna work." muttered the girl in his arms. "There's more than one of them." she added when a second alien came besides the first. The Daleks began to attack, firing upon the settlement causing explosions and starting fires.

"The humans will surrender." commanded one of them.

The girl jerked out of the Time Lord's embrace, looking at the Dalek with such hatred, pain and anger in her gaze... She roared. "Leave them alone! They've done nothing to you!"

"We have located the Doctor!" continued the robot. "And the mystery too." It said, looking straight at her. She froze.

Solomon stepped forward and the Doctor grabbed him by the arm. "No, Solomon. Stay back."

"I'm told that I'm addressin' the Daleks, is that right?" He didn't pay attention to him. "From what I hear, you're outcasts, too."

"Solomon, don't." warned the Doctor.

"Doctor, this is my township, you will respect my authority. Just let me try." He pushed the Doctor away. The man stepped back, shaking his head.

"Daleks…ain't we all the same? Underneath, ain't we all kin?" He set the rifle on the ground. "'Cause, see, I've just discovered this past day God's universe is a thousand times the size I thought it was. And that scares me. Oh, yeah. Terrifies me. Right down to the bone. But it's got to give me hope…hope that maybe together we can make a better tomorrow. So I…I beg you now if you have any compassion in your hearts then you'll meet with us and stop this fight. Well…what do you say?"

"Exterminate!" was the answer of the Dalek, as it fired upon Solomon, killing him.

The inhabitants of Hooverville screamed and started to run away. Frank rushed to Solomon's side

"No! Solomon!"

"They killed him. They just shot him on the spot."

"Daleks!" roared a pissed off voice besides them. The Doctor moved forward, arms out to his side, and confronted the Daleks. "All right, so it's my turn! Then kill me! Kill me if it'll stop you attacking these people!"

Dianna closed her eyes. And followed him. She didn't think about it. She just did it. She settled next to him, looking right at the aliens.

"Kill me too. Kill us but not them. Now."

"I will be the destroyer of our greatest enemies." said the Dalek.

How was she an enemy? She didn't move.

"Then do it! Do it! Just do it!" He beat on his chest. "Do it!"

"Extermin-" It stopped. "I do not understand. It is the Doctor." It was like he was talking to somebody else. But that somebody wasn't here. "The urge to kill is too strong." There was another pause and then a reluctant "I…obey."

"What's going on?" she asked the Doctor.

"You will follow." the creature commanded.

"No! You can't go!" cried Martha.

"I've got to go. The Daleks just changed their minds. Daleks never change their minds."

"The Doctor and the mystery will follow."

"But what about us?" continued the human girl.

The Doctor looked back at the people of Hooverville before facing the Dalek.

"One condition! If we come with you, you spare the lives of everyone here! Do you hear me?"

"The humans will be spared. Doctor, mystery…follow."

"Then I'm coming with you." said Martha.

"Martha, stay here. Do what you do best. People are hurt. You can help them. Let us go." He looked at Dianna. "They want us."

Martha looked at the Doctor as he looked at the Daleks before striding off to follow them. She looked hurt and alone. He paused and looked back.

"Oh, and can I just say, thank you very much."

He gripped her hand with both of his and winked. As he walked off, Martha saw he had given her the psychic paper. But what she saw was the hand of her Doctor holding Dianna's. And it hurt.

* * *

The Doctor and his companion arrived in the Dalek lab and immediately started in on Dalek Sec.

"Those people were defenseless!" roared the girl.

"You only wanted us, but no, that wasn't enough for you! You had to start killing 'cause that's the only thing a Dalek's good for!" continued the Doctor.

"The deaths…were wrong." said Dalek Sec.

"I'm sorry?" The Doctor continued, looking puzzled.

"That man, their leader Solomon, he showed courage."

"And that's good?" he asked.

"That's excellent."

"Is it me or are you just becoming a little bit more human?" the voice of Dianna was till a bit shaky.

"You are the last of your kind and now I am the first of mine." continued the creature, not paying attention to the girl.

"What do you want me for?"

"We tried everything to survive when we found ourselves stranded in this ignorant age. First we tried growing new Dalek embryos but their flesh was too weak."

"Yeah, I found one of your experiments. Just left to die out there in the dark."

"It forced us to conclude what is the greatest resource of this planet—its people."

Dalek Sec lifted a giant switch on the wall and the ceiling above them lit up to show hundreds of human bodies lying suspended. He then lifted another switch and one of the bodies was lowered.

"We stole them. We stole human beings for our purpose. Look…inside."

The Doctor opened the shroud to reveal a man. Dianna gasped. That was horrible. Why had they done that?

"This…is the extent of the Final Experiment."

"Is he dead?" the girl asked with a fearing tone.

"Near death with his mind wiped ready to be filled with new ideas." explained Dalek Sec.

"Dalek ideas." said The Doctor

"The Human-Dalek race." she muttered. "All of these people. How many?"

"We have caverns beyond this storing. More than a thousand."

"Is there any way to restore them? Make them human again?"

"Everything they were has been lost."

"So they're like shells." the girl whispered, the Doctor watching her. "You've got empty human beings ready to be converted."

"That's going to take a hell of a lot of power. This planet hasn't even split the atom yet. How're you gonna do it?"

"Open the conductor plan." ordered the Dalek. He then showed the Doctor an animated graphic of their plan.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. The Empire State Building. We're right underneath that. I worked that out already, thanks. But what, you hijacked the whole building?"

"We needed an energy conductor."

"What for?"

"I… am the genetic template. My altered DNA was to be administered to each human body. A strong enough blast of gamma radiation can splice the Dalek and human genetic codes and wake each body from its sleep." He simply explained.

"Gamma radiation? What are- Oh, the sun. You're using the sun."

"Soon…the greatest solar flare for a thousand years will hit the Earth. Gamma radiation will be drawn to the energy conductor and when it strikes."

"The army wakes. I still don't know what you need me for."

"Your genius. Consider a pure Dalek; intelligent but emotionless."

"Removing the emotions makes you stronger. That's what your creator thought all those years ago."

"He was wrong." stated the creature, making the Doctor look puzzled.

"He was what?" he asked.

"It makes us lesser than our enemies. We must return to the flesh."

The other Daleks seemed concerned at this statement. Dianna shivered. Maybe they weren't as loyal as they thought...

"And also…the heart."

"You wouldn't be the supreme beings anymore."

"And that is good."

"That is incorrect." protested a 'original' Dalek.

"Daleks are supreme." continued the other.

"No, not anymore." said Dalek Sec.

"But that is our purpose."

"Then our purpose is wrong! Where has our quest for supremacy led us? To this. Hiding in the sewers on a primitive world. Just four of us left. If we do not change now then we deserve extinction."

"So you want to change everything that makes a Dalek a Dalek."

"If…you can help me. Your knowledge of genetic engineering is even greater than ours. The new race must be ready by the time the solar flare erupts."

"But you're the template. I thought they were getting a dose of you."

"I want to change the gene sequence."

"To make them even more human?" asked Dianna, making the creature look at her as though he had forgotten her being there.

"Humans are the great survivors. We need that ability."

"Hold on a minute. There's no way this lot are gonna let you do it." pointed the girl. The Daleks that weren't in that humanoid form wouldn't let this one change all of them...

"I am their leader."

"Oh, and that's enough for you, is it?" The Doctor turned to the Daleks.

"Daleks must follow orders."

"Dalek Sec commands, we obey."

"If you don't help me…nothing will change." pleaded the creature.

"There's no room on Earth for another race of people." continued the Doctor but he was more and more convinced by the Dalek's arguments.

"You have your TARDIS. Take us across the stars. Find us a new home and allow the new Daleks to start again."

There was a silence. The girl looked at Dalek Sec and, taking a deep breath, started to ask questions. "And me? Why did you need me in here?"

"You are a mystery. The Dalek race knows you. But there is something we cannot understand about you."

"Oh... So, you made me come to... experiment on me?"

"When's that solar flare?" The Doctor suddenly asked.

"Eleven minutes."

"Right then. Better get to work."

He started to check the readouts and the machineries. There was something bad about Dianna being here. He had the feeling that wasn't going to end well. He snapped back to what he was trying to do and winced. "There's no point in chromosomal grafting. It's too erratic. You need to split the genome and force the Dalek-human sequence right into the cortex."

"We need more chromatin solution." commanded Dalek Sec.

"The pig slaves have it." answered the robot.

The pig slaves walked into the room carrying a large crate. Lazlo was one of them. He made no gesture to them and the girl hoped he wasn't an enemy.

"These pig slaves, what happens to them in the grand plan?" asked the Doctor as he was working.

"Nothing. They're just simple beasts. Their lifespan is limited. None survive beyond a few weeks. Power up the engine feeds."

The Doctor spotted Lazlo and walked over. Dianna was still trying to stay far away as possible from the Daleks. She heard the two others talking.

"Lazlo, I can't undo what they've done to you, but they won't do it to anyone else."

"Do you trust him?" he muttered back.

"I know that one man can change the course of history."

One of the Daleks spotted them talking. The girl swallowed hard.

"Right idea in the right place at the right time is all it takes. I've got to believe it's possible." continued the Time Lord.

"The line feeds are ready." reminded the robot.

The Doctor rushed up to a bunch of tubes and extracted the solution inside with a syringe.

"Then it's all systems go." he nodded in approval.

"The solar flare is imminent. The radiation…will reach Earth in a matter of minutes."

"We'll be ready for it." He inserted the syringe into one of the main feeding tubes and injected the solution. "That compound will allow the gene bonds to reconfigure in a brand new pattern. Power up!"

One of the pig slaves turned on a power switch as did Lazlo.

"Start…the line feeds."

One of the Daleks started the machinery and the solution started moving through the tubes. A shiver ran down Dianna's spine at the vision...

"There goes the gene solution."

"The life blood." approved the humanoid Dalek.

The solution started coursing up to the bodies. But suddenly, at mid-course, a klaxon sounded and red warning lights flashed. The Doctor looked up. He seemed puzzled, a bit panicked by that.

"What's that?"

"What's happening? Is there a malfunction? Answer me!"

"No, no, no. The gene feed! They're overriding the gene feed!" The Doctor rushed to the controls in an attempt to fix it.

"Impossible. They cannot disobey orders." gasped Dalek Sec as the other aliens started to enter in motion.

"The Doctor will step away from the controls."

The Doctor backed away. Dianna stood besides him, looking at him with wide eyes. He didn't know how to reassure her. The Daleks turned to the two of them in a clear attempt to shoot. She closed her eyes.

"Stop! You will not fire." he ordered.

"He is an enemy of the Daleks." explained the robot.

"And so are you." added the other.

The Daleks had their weapons aimed at the Doctor, Dianna and Dalek Sec. The Time Lord's hand found the girl's. She squeezed it, in search of comfort. He squeezed back. He felt horrible about bringing her in with him in the first place and now exposing her to the Daleks whom he feared too.

"What have you done with the gene feed?" He asked, cutting the robots argument about who was the leader and why.

"The new bodies will be 100% Dalek." answered a robot.

"No. You can't do this!" cried Dianna. She couldn't imagine the hundreds of persons transformed into perfect soldiers.

"Pig slaves, restrain Dalek Sec, the Doctor and the Mystery." demanded one of the new masters.

Two pig slaves grabbed Dalek Sec and others went for the travellers. Lazlo took charge of the Doctor.

"Release me. I created you. I am your master." tried the humanoid.

"Solar flare approaching." said one of the Daleks, oblivious to Dalek Sec's orders and tries.

"Prepare to intercept." continued the other.

The Daleks turned towards the machinery. The girl felt the need to escape the arms of the pigs. When the lift bell pinged, she turned violently and, twisting her body to let them go off her, kicked them to the gound. She didn't the look The Doctor gave her. Her body knew self-defense. Great.

"There's the lift." muttered Lazlo.

"After you." said the Time Lord.

The Doctor and Lazlo pushed their way clear and headed for the lift. The girl joined them rapidly.

"The Doctor is escaping! Stop him! Stop him!" shouted the Daleks.

The pig slaves followed but the lift doors were already closing. Inside the lift, Lazlo was leaning against the side, panting heavily. First, The Doctor didn't focused on him as he was still watching Dianna.

"Something wrong, Doctor-man?" She asked.

"You... You know how to fight."

"My body knows. I don't." she answered, not looking right into his eyes.

He took a deep breath before looking back at the mutant.

"We've only got minutes before the gamma radiation reaches the Earth. We need to get to the top of the building. Lazlo, what's wrong?" the Doctor asked, as Lazlo was slumped over, panting.

"Out of breath. It's nothing. We've escaped them, Doctor. That's all that matters." Lazlo responded.

Suddenly, the lift doors opened. The Time Lord felt Dianna tensing, ready to fight her way but she relaxed when she saw it was just Martha.

"Doctor!" beamed the girl.

"I never thought I'd see you again." said another feminine voice. It was Tallulah, who ran directly in Lazlo's arms.

"No stopping me." the hybrid smiled.

Martha led the Doctor over to the plans. They let the other girl alone as the couple was hugging tightly. She felt a bit sad not be entirely into the group. But it was her first trip after all. She caught the glimpse of Frank who was alone too and approached him. He grinned at her and hugged her. They talked a little.

"We worked it out. We know what they've done. There's Dalekanium on the mast. And it's good to see you too, by thy way." Martha continued, maybe a bit embarrassed.

"Oh, come here." The Doctor grabbed Martha in a big hug and twirled her about. Dianna smiled at the sight of it. They looked so... good together. He dropped her abruptly as the bell dinged and the lift doors closed. He ran to try and stop it.

"No, no, no. See, never waste time with a hug." he said, making the girl frown.

He used the sonic screwdriver on the panel but failed. "It's a deadlock seal. I can't stop it."

"Where's it going?" she asked.

"Right down to the Daleks. And they're not going to leave us alone up here." The tone used by the alien was dark.

"What's the time?" asked Dianna, and the Time Lord looked at her like he had forgotten she was with them.

"11:15." Frank answered.

"Six minutes to go. I've got to remove the Dalekanium before the gamma radiation hits." continued the Doctor.

"Gammon radiation? What the heck is that?" asked Tallulah, but she was ignored by the two of them. The ex-comatose went to her and said "Don't worry, I'm totally lost too...".

Martha led he Doctor outside, Dianna, Tallulah and Lazlo following. The alien looked out on the city.

"Oh, that's high. That's very- Blimey, that's high." he said.

"And we've got to go even higher." explained Martha who didn't seem to notice the way his voice may have shaken. "That's the mast up there, look. There's three pieces of Dalekanium at the base. We've got to get 'em off."

"That's not "we". That's just me."

She looked at him with wide eyes. "I won't just stand here and watch you." she threatened.

"No, you're gonna have your hands full, anyway. I'm sorry, Martha, but you've got to fight."

Martha, Lazlo, Frank, Dianna and Tallulah had picked up makeshift weapons and were facing the lift.

"The lift's coming up." Warned the brunette.

"I shoulda brought that gun." muttered the young man.

They were all shaking in fear and waiting for this to be other, as soon as possible.

"Tallulah, stay back. You too, Martha. IF they send pig slaves, they're trained to kill." explained Lazlo.

"The Doctor needs me to fight. I'm not going anywhere!" argued the girl back.

"They're savages. I should know. They're trained to slit your throat with their bare teeth." continued the hybrid before collapsing to the floor.

"Lazlo? What is it?" gasped the showgirl as he struggled to stand.

"No, it's nothing. I'm fine. Just leave me." he said but he fell back to the ground and leaned against a wall, definitely in bad shape. Tallulah kneeled beside him and put her hand to his forehead. The look on her face showed concern and she gasped again when she felt the temperature on the mutant's forehead. "Oh, honey, you're burnin' up. What's wrong with you? Tell me."

"One man down and we ain't even started yet." sighed Frank who was standing between the two other girls.

"It's not looking good, Frank." said Martha.

"Nope." muttered the man.

Dianna was looking at them in complete silence. Her brain was running to give them an idea. They needed to fight. And it seemed she was quite good at that... She closed her eyes, thinking hard. Then, she heard the storm through the open end of the room. It gave her an idea. The solution.

"Wait a minutes. Lightening." she said, running to the other end of the room.

Explaining rapidly what she was thinking to the others, they all started to arrange long metal rods from the outside across the room to the lift, making sure they didn't touch the floor. Tallulah was still with Lazlo, taking care of him but the others didn't seemed to be bothered by her absence.

"Aw, you'll be all right, sweetheart. Don't you worry." The showgirl whispered to her lover. "What the hell are you three clowns doin'?" she asked to the three workers.

"Even if the Doctor stops the Dalekanium, this place is still gonna get hit. Great big bolt of lightening, electricity all down this building. Connect this to the lift and they get zapped." explained Dianna.

"Oh my God, that could work." Tallulah said with a thoughtful voice.

"Then give us a hand." sighed the boy.

They quickly finished their handiwork.

"Is that gonna work?" asked the blonde another time.

"It's got to." said Martha.

"I've got it all piped up to the scaffolding outside." added Frank.

"Come here, Frank, Martha and sit in the middle and don't touch anything metal." ordered the other girl. She seemed to know what she was doing so they did what she had said, even if Martha looked a bit annoyed of being ordered that way. They all huddled in the corner of the room.

All happened in a blink of the eye. When the doors opened on the pig slaves, a long bolt of lightning passed along the pipes and striked them. In the same moment, Dianna heard a scream that made her shiver. She felt it was the Doctor's voice. It was a long cry of insufferable pain, something horrific and frightening. She tried to appear confident when Frank looked at her. But it didn't work.

She looked at the pigs starting to fall, dead, on the ground.

"You did it, Dianna." muttered the showgirl.

"They used to be like Lazlo. They were people and I killed 'em." said the girl with a slight weakness in her voice.

"No, the Daleks killed them. Long ago." added Lazlo.

"What about the Doctor?" Martha's voice was filled with concern. The other girl shivered when she remembered the scream she had heard. The black one rushed outside.

* * *

"Doctor! Doctor!" Oh... That was Martha... What she doing here? "Look what we found halfway down." Her voice was closer, she must had kneeled besides him. He opened his eyes to see the sonic screwdriver in her hand. He remembered loosing it as the bolt had struck. "You're getting careless." she added.

"Oh my head." he groaned, sitting up and patting his forehead with one of his hands.

"Hiya." the girl said, relief sensitive in her voice.

"Hi. You survived then." He spoke hoarsely.

"So did you. Just about. I can't help noticing… there's Dalekanium still attached." He winced. He knew he hadn't been able to detach the metal... He got on his feet and started the journey back to the main room.

Dianna looked up at him. He hugged her tightly before noticing the bodies around them.

"You..." he started.

"I killed them." Her tone was shaky and there was sobs somewhere in her throat.

"Eh, it's ok..." he replied. "The Daleks will have gone straight to a war footing. They'll be using the sewers, spreading their soldiers out underneath Manhattan." he continued to the others.

"How do we stop them?" asked the hybrid.

"There's only one chance. I got in the way. That gamma strike went zapping though me first." he explained. The girl against him shuddered. She knew the scream was his.

"But what does that mean?" Martha asked back.

"We need to draw fire. Before they can attack New York, I need to face them." He stepped away from the ex-comatose who looked better and started his usual rambling, hands running through his chestnut hair. "Think, think, think, think. We need some sort of space, somewhere safe, somewhere out of the way. Tallulah!" he exclaimed.

"That's me. Three Ls and an H." answered the showgirl, a bit puzzled by his sudden call.

"The theatre! It's right above them, and, what, it's gone midnight? Can you get us inside?" he asked.

"Don't see why not." she said with a little smile, even though she completely didn't understand why he was asking that.

"Is there another lift?"

"We came up in the service elevator." explained Martha.

"That'll do. Allons-y!" he jumped on his feet and ran to the elevator, the others following closely.

* * *

The Doctor, Dianna, Martha, Frank, Tallulah and Lazlo arrived at the darkened theatre. They all felt the creepy atmosphere of the deserted room.

"This should do it. Here we go." The Doctor muttered before clicking on the sonic.

"There ain't nothin' more creepy than a theatre in the dark." started the showgirl. "Listen, Doctor, I know you got a thing for showtunes, but there's a time and place, hunh?" Lazlo fell into one of the chairs beside her, capturing her attention. "Lazlo, what's wrong?" She sat next to him, worried.

"Nothing. It's just so hot." The hybrid said.

"But…it's freezing in here." gasped the girl. "Doctor, what's happening to him?" she asked.

The Doctor was listening to the sonic screwdriver, checking its frequency. He looked annoyed by the blonde's interruption. "Not now, Tallulah. Sorry." he snapped.

"What are you doing?" Martha demanded.

"If the Daleks are going to war, they'll wanna find their number one enemy. I'm just telling them where I am." explained the Time Lord.

He held up the sonic screwdriver and turned it on. He looked back to Martha, Dianna and the others. He didn't want to loose the girls, his companions; he needed them as much as they needed him. He sighed. "I'm telling you to go. Frank can take you back to Hooverville."

"And I'm telling you, I'm not going." Martha said.

"Neither am I." continued the ex-comatose.

"Martha, Dianna, that's an order." he tried again.

"Who are you, then?" asked Martha.

"Some sort of Dalek?" added the other brunette.

The doors to the theatre burst open and the Human Daleks arrived, flanking them. The Doctor sighed. Too late.

"Oh, my God! Well I guess that's them then, huh?" squeaked Tallulah.

"Humans…with Dalek DNA." muttered Dianna, as she felt a deep sadness for them.

Frank moved to attack them but the Doctor pulled him back. "It's all right. Just stay calm. Don't antagonize them." He said, voice staying calm and cold even if he feared for the two women's lives.

"But what about the Dalek masters? Where are they?" asked Lazlo.

Suddenly, there was an explosion on stage. They all ducked behind the seats for cover. The Doctor peered over after a few moments, and, as the smoke cleared, he saw with a bit of horror – he had to admit- two of the robots with Dalek Sec chained and walking on all fours. The Time Lord stood slowly as the others peeked over the chairs.

"The Doctor will stand before the Daleks." ordered one of the mechanic voices.

He stepped over a chair and walked forward on the backs of the rows until he reached the front row. Dianna looked at the scene with pain and anger. She didn't know why she was feeling that way but... It was here.

"You will die, Doctor. It is the beginning of a new age." started a Dalek.

"Planet Earth will become New Skaro." continued the other.

"Oh, and what a world." said The Doctor. "With anything just the slightest bit different ground into the dirt. That's Dalek Sec. Don't you remember? The cleverest Dalek ever and look what you've done to him." He looked over in disgust. "Is that your new empire? Hmm? Is that the foundation for a whole new civilization?" he continued on, his feeling about the aliens piercing in his tone.

"My Daleks…just understand this. If you choose death and destruction, then death and destruction will choose you." muttered Dalek Sec.

"Incorrect. We will always survive." replied a robot.

"Now we will destroy our greatest enemy, the Doctor." The other one concluded.

"But he can help you." tried the chained humanoid.

"The Doctor must die."

"No, I beg you, don't." Dalek Sec crawled in front of a Dalek.

"Exterminate!" The mutant stood just as it fired, dying instantly.

"Your own leader." The Doctor was truly disgusted. "The only creature who might have led you out of the darkness and you destroyed him." He turned to the Human Daleks. "Do you see what they did? Huh? You see what a Dalek really is?" But it didn't worked. "If I'm gonna die, let's give the new boys a shot. What do you think, eh? The Dalek-Humans. Their first blood. Go on, baptize them."

He held his arms out to his sides. The others looked at him with fear but he couldn't look at them. If he died now, the girls would be stuck in 1930's New York. Martha wouldn't see her family again. Ever. And it would be his fault. He shook his head out of these sinister thoughts.

"Dalek-Humans, take aim." ordered a Dalek.

They cocked their weapons and aimed them at the Time Lord.

"What are you waiting for? Give the command!"

"Exterminate!" shouted the leader.

The Doctor closed his eyes as Dianna did so but nobody noticed the similarity of their motion. Martha ducked her head against Frank's chest. But nothing happened.

"Exterminate!" The robot tried again.

Still nothing happened. An uneasy giggle escaped the brunette's lips.

"Obey. Dalek-Humans will obey." The Dalek said.

"Not firing. What have you done?" Martha's question was ignored.

"You will obey. Exterminate." The Dalek's 'voice' sounded a tiny bit panicked.

"Why?" suddenly asked one of the soldiers.

The Doctor looked at the former foreman with a proud look. It would be ok. It had worked.

"Daleks do not question orders."

"But why?" continued the man.

"You will stop this." vainly ordered a Dalek.

"But…why?"

"You must not question." This time, it was real panic, fear and annoyance.

"But you are not our master. And we…we are not Daleks." said the man.

"No, you're not, and you never will be." The Doctor sounded happy and relieved. He turned to the aliens. "Sorry, I got in the way of the lightening strike. Time Lord DNA got all mixed up. Just that little bit of freedom."

"If they will not obey, then they must die."

And they started to fire at each other.

"Get down!" shouted the Time Lord.

They all ducked behind the seats. The cries of extermination of the Daleks resounded other the gun shots and suddenly an explosion indicated one of the robots had been blown up. A second one died the same way. The human Daleks stopped firing. Dianna, Frank, Martha, Tallulah and Lazlo stood. The Doctor went over to one of the hybrids. "It's all right. It's all right. It's all right. You did it. You're free."

Then, all the hybrids gripped their heads and screamed in pain.

"No!" cried the man as the human Daleks crumbled to the ground. "They can't! They can't! They can't!"

Dianna joined him beside one of the bodies. "What happened? What was that?"

"They killed 'em. Rather than let them live. An entire species. Genocide." He spat.

"Only two of the Daleks have been destroyed. One of the Dalek masters must still be alive." muttered Lazlo, feeling worse and worse.

The Doctor stood. "Oh, yes. In the whole universe, just one." He looked down. The last Dalek. As he was the Last of the Time Lords. He was going to end this war. Now.

* * *

As the man entered the room, the Dalek was still wired up to the computer. They stared at each other for a moment. The last of their kinds. The last battle of the Time War.

"Now what?" he requested.

"You will be exterminated." stated the robot.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Just think about it, Dalek- What was your name?" sighed the Doctor.

"Dalek Caan." he answered back.

The man walked forward. "Dalek Caan. Your entire species has been wiped out. And now the Cult of Skaro has been eradicated. Leaving only you. Right now you're facing the only man in the universe who might show you some compassion. 'Cause I've just seen one genocide. I won't cause another. Caan…let me help you. What do you say?" he said, a tiny little bit of hope in his voice.

The silence lasted. Until, the Dalek shouted "Emergency Temporal Shift!" He disappeared, leaving only wires hanging where he had been.

The girls and Lazlo chose this moment to enter. Dianna took a step back when she saw the angry look on his face. But Martha didn't care or didn't want to care. "Doctor! Doctor! He's sick."

Lazlo was breathing heavily, wheezing. They lowered him to the floor, Tallulah cradling him on her lap. The blonde seemed so worried about him... Martha was trying to comfort them both.

"It's okay. You're all right." she whispered reassuringly.

The Doctor approached them and kneeled down to examine Lazlo. Martha immediately explained what was going on, her medical instinct coming back. "It's his heart. It's racing like mad. I've never seen anything like it."

Tallulah looked up at the alien. "What is it, Doctor? What's the matter with him? He says he can't breathe? What is it?" Tears were appearing at her eyes. Tears of despair.

"It's time, sweetheart." he mumbled.

"What do you mean 'time'? What are you talking about?" asked the showgirl. She couldn't face the reality. She couldn't see, or wouldn't see he was dying.

"None of the slaves… survive for long. Most of them only live a few weeks. I was lucky. I held on 'cause I had you. But now…I'm dyin', Tallulah." he explained in a painful tone.

"No you're not. Not now, after all this. Doctor, can't you do somethin'?" she begged.

The Doctor looked at her with a crazy smile, his terrific anger having gone back away for now. "Oh, Tallulah with three Ls and an H…just you watch me." He stood and took off his coat, grinning. "What do I need? Oh, I don't know. How about a great big genetic laboratory? Oh look, I've got one. Lazlo, just you hold on." He started to run about the lab, mixing up a solution here, touching things there and still talking all the while, with his usual mad ramble. "There's been too many deaths today. Way too many people have died. Brand new creatures and wise old men and age-old enemies. And I'm telling you, I'm telling you right now, I am not having one more death! Got that? Not one! Tallulah, out of the way." He took a stethoscope out of his pocket and put it on. "The Doctor is in." he grinned before starting to work on Lazlo.

* * *

The Doctor, Dianna, Martha, Tallulah, and Lazlo—bundled in an overcoat and hat— were in Central Park, waiting by a bench. Frank joined them, a big smile on.

"Well I talked to 'em and I told 'em what Solomon would've said and I reckon I shamed one or two of 'em." he said proudly.

"What did they say?" the alien asked.

"They said yes." he beamed.

Tallulah hugged Lazlo. They were all so happy. It was a happy ending to this awful adventure. For all. Well, maybe not for all. Dianna felt strange.

She had no more answers and a lot more questions about her. Who was she? Why did these creatures recognize her? She felt she wasn't about to know. It scared her. She was scared of who she was. Was she a good or a bad person? Had she killed? Given life? Who was she before being Dianna Stoker? What was her life? It terrified her that maybe somewhere there was a family waiting for her. People she didn't know but who knew her. And she was here, right now, and maybe they were missing her and she was hurting them by not coming back. She tried to snap out of these painful thoughts. She smiled at Martha who was beside her. And she smiled back. The first time they smiled at each other.

Back on Liberty Island, Dianna, Martha and the Doctor were looking out at the Manhattan skyline. It was beautiful. The brunette was lost in the contemplation of the landscape as the others were chatting happily.

"Do you reckon it's gonna work, those two?" Martha asked.

"I don't know. Anywhere else in the universe, I might worry about them, but New York, that's what this city's good at. Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, and maybe the odd pig-slave-Dalek-mutant-hybrid too." He chuckled a bit.

"The pig and the showgirl." she laughed.

"The pig and the showgirl." he repeated with a smile.

"Just proves it, I suppose. There's someone for everyone." she stated.

The Doctor's smile disappeared. "Maybe" he muttered.

Dianna turned to him when she heard the change of tone in his voice. He seemed... sad. As she did it, the Time Lord caught something. Her eyes...

"Dianna... Your eyes..." He started.

"What?" She frowned at his stare.

"They are... different..."

Indeed, they were different. The crystal shade had become a bit more purple. They were hazy-like. It was weird. She blushed, feeling uneasy because of their stares.

"It's... the light..." she tried.

"No, they really..." have changed, he continued in his mind.

"So... back to the TARDIS?" asked Martha, a sigh of relief escaping Dianna's lips when the Doctor looked away from her made her smile.

They walked back to the TARDIS. The brunette was the first to enter, leaving the Time Lord and his first companion alone.

"Meant to say…sorry." sighed Martha.

"What for?" he asked, surprised.

"Just 'cause that Dalek got away. I know what that means to you. Think you'll ever see it again?"

He took a deep breath before saying "Oh yes."

She entered too but he stayed at the doorway for a moment. "One day." he added. He went inside and closed the door behind him, sighing.

'Bye New York', Dianna thought when she heard the engines of the TARDIS humming and felt the jolts of the journey.


	6. The Lazarus Experiment

**Hi everyone and sorry for 1: the delay, 2: the fact than the chapter wasn't here. **

**Thank you for supporting me and please leave reviews after that chapter. **

**Thank to aWeSoMeLuNaTiC for her betaing. **

**Tonight, something is gonna change. Something huge. **

**Enjoy the chapter**

**Too hard to be called Love. **

* * *

Martha and Dianna were talking together in the living-room of the TARDIS. They had warmed up after the Dalek mess and were quite friendly to each other. Even if the paler one didn't have any memories, they could still have great talks about boys, fashion and The Doctor, three subjects they both enjoyed talking about. They finished up their cuppa before leaving them in the sink of the kitchen and making their way to the console room. They entered, laughing at some silly joke one of them had just made. The Time Lord looked up at them and grinned, making the two girls giggle more.

"What?" he asked, a bit puzzled.

"No... Nothing... Doctor," Martha was able to say, out of breath.

"Well, you're just in time, we are nearly arrived."

"Yeah, the TARDIS warned us." explained the other brunette. They watched him as he flicked a few levers and finally, the engines stopped.

"There we go…perfect landing, which isn't easy in such a tight spot."

"You should be used to tight spots by now. Where are we?" Martha inquired.

"The end of the line." he responded with a little sadness in his voice. He quite liked Martha but the life he was living was dangerous and deadly... As for Dianna... He wasn't going to leave her today but he hoped of finding a solution to her problem soon. Not that he didn't like her. "No place like it." he continued as they both rushed towards the entrance.

Martha looked at him, questioning if she should open the doors. He nodded and she went outside first only to be disappointed in the destination. The other girl followed. She heard the sigh of her friend before she asked more loudly to their driver.

"Home. You took me home?" She sounded really sad and deceived.

"In fact, the morning after we left, so you've only been gone about 12 hours. No time at all, really." He explained, not really answering her question. The Doctor began looking about at her photos, clearly not at all feeling awkward for intruding in her private life.

"But all the stuff we've done—Shakespeare, New New York, old New York?"

Dianna stood slightly apart from the other two, feeling out of place and wondering if it was better for her to get back to the TARDIS.

"Yep, all in one night—relatively speaking. Everything should be just as it was—books, CDs" He picked up underwear drying on a rack, making his not-really-almost-too-late-to-be companion blushing furiously. "Laundry." He finished, a teasing smile on.

The girl snagged the offending lingerie from his fingertips. It couldn't be over... After all they had gone through together? She thought she wasn't just a passenger but more of a companion... Like Rose was. But she wasn't half of it.

"So, back were you were, as promised." he said.

"This is it?" Her voice was sad, pained.

"Yeah, I should probably…um…" He responded after inhaling sharply.

"And her? What are you gonna do with her?" She was back in a form of jealousy.

Before he could gather a not-too-bad answer, Martha's phone rang and the answering machine picked up. "Hi! I'm out! Leave a message!"

"I'm sorry." she apologized, even if she didn't have to.

The machine beeped and Martha's mother's voice resounded round the living room. The girl sighed. She had other things to deal with instead of managing her crazy family.

"Martha, are you there? Pick it up, will you?" asked the woman.

"It's Mum. It'll wait." said the young doctor.

"All right then, pretend that you're out if you like." continued the voice on the machine. "I was only calling to say that your sister's on TV. On the news of all things. Just thought you might be interested." she ended up her call.

In the flat, Martha picked up the remote control and turned on the TV. An old man, whom she felt familiar with appeared on the screen. "That's Professor Lazarus." exclaimed the medical student.

"The details are top secret" the scientist started.

"How could Tish end up on the news?" wondered Martha as she saw her sister standing behind Lazarus.

"Tonight, I will demonstrate a device…" he continued.

"She's got a new job. PR for some research lab." She was more speaking to herself than to the others.

"…with the push of a single button, I will change what it means to be human." the man finished.

Martha switched off the TV with a sigh.

"Sorry. You were saying?"

"One trip is what we said." he went on, completely ignoring the remark of the girl earlier about Dianna staying with him.

"Yeah. I suppose things just kind of…escalated." she added.

"Mmm. Seems to happen to me a lot." The Time Lord muttered.

"Thank you. For everything." she sighed.

"It was my pleasure." he seemed genuine. And his smile was too.

The Doctor entered the TARDIS leaving Martha standing beside it looking near to tears. Dianna followed, after hugging the girl she was considering her only friend, as she couldn't remember anything else. She closed the door sadly.

The dark-haired girl took a deep breath and backed away as the ship dematerialised. She looked around her, lost, trying to hear the last remains of the humming in the air. She caught it again. Her eyes went wide when she heard it growing louder and louder and the box re-materialised before her.

The alien opened the door and popped his head out. "No, I'm sorry. Did he say he was going to change what it means to be human?" He asked, sounding puzzled and a bit excited.

* * *

The Doctor, Dianna and Martha were walking down a street. The man was fussing with the cuffs of his dress shirt.

"Doctor... You're a grown man... And you still have troubles with your shirt?" the amnesiac laughed. She stopped and put it correctly, acting motherly and affective to the Time Lord.

"Whenever I wear this, something bad always happens." he explained when they resumed their walk.

"It's not the outfit, that's just you. Anyway, I think it suits you." She smiled.

"In a James Bond kind of way." Martha added.

"James Bond?" He said derisively. Then, he looked at the girls with a little smile. "Really?" He continued, this time approvingly. "By the way, you both look beautiful, my ladies..." He grinned.

Martha chuckled as they approach the impressive entrance to Lazarus Laboratories. It drew a shiver from Dianna who swallowed before entering her arm wrapped around the Doctor's left one as Martha was occupying the right one.

* * *

Inside the main reception room, guests were mingling. The girl relaxed a bit, relieved to be so anonymous in this crowd. Dominating the room was a large white round cabinet surrounded by four pillars with a slight curve at the top. She left the others to approach it, curious. She heard the Doctor and Martha chatting a few feet away from her. When she re-joined them, The Doctor was tossing one whole nibble into his mouth, with a huge smile on, and muttering something about nibbles.

"Doctor..." She sighed. "You're a child." He looked at her fondly before turning to observe the conversation between Martha and a girl who looked a lot like her. Her sister.

"Hello." The girl seemed pleased to see her sister.

"Tish." smiled Martha, hugging her sister. It seemed to her she hadn't seen her sibling during a long time but for the young woman it was just 12 hours.

"You look great." said Tish, looking at the black dress she was wearing. "So, what do you think? Impressive, isn't it?"

"Very." nodded the traveller.

"And two nights out in a row for you—that's dangerously close to a social life." She joked.

"If I keep this up, I'll end up in all the gossip columns." added Martha.

"You might, actually. Keep an eye out for photographers. And Mum—she's coming too, even dragging Leo along with her."

"Leo in black tie? That I must see." She whispered excitedly in surprise.

Tish glanced at the Doctor and Dianna who were talking at each other, smiling and joking.

"This is, uh, the Doctor. And Dianna Stoker." explained her sister.

The Doctor approached, even if Dianna was trying to keep him from doing something he would regret. He shook Tish's hand with his crazy smile. "Hello."

"Are they with you?" asked the girl.

"Yeah." She was a bit embarrassed by the way the Time Lord was behaving.

"But they're not on the list. How did they get in?"

"He's my plus one."

"And her?"

"My plus two?" she asked, hesitantly.

"So, this Lazarus bloke, he's your boss?" Suddenly inquired the Doctor.

"Professor Lazarus, yes." She corrected. "I'm part of his executive staff." She answered proudly.

"She's in the PR department." explained Martha.

Tish looked at her with big eyes and said a little vexed, "I'm head of the PR department, actually."

"You're joking."

"I put this whole thing together." She retorted.

"So do you know what the professor's going to be doing tonight? That looks like it might be a sonic microfield manipulator." He rambled, not noticing they were all watching him with blank eyes.

"He's a science geek. I should've known. Gotta get back to work now. I'll catch up with you later." Tish left to mingle.

"Science geek? What does that mean?" The Doctor asked naively.

How could she explain that? "That you're obsessively enthusiastic about it." She finally came with this answer.

"Oh, nice." It seemed to satisfy him.

"Martha." They heard a voice calling the girl from behind and all three turned at the same time. The companion's mother stood before them. She looked at her as if she hadn't seen her in years.

"Mum!" She beamed as they hugged.

"Oh. All right, what's the occasion?" Francine said, a bit surprised.

"What do you mean? I'm just pleased to see you, that's all."

"You saw me last night." The woman stated.

"I know. I just…miss you." She said, realizing her mistake. "You're looking good, Leo."

"Yeah. If anyone asks me to fetch 'em a drink, I'll swing for him." The young man answered, not looking convinced at all but casting glances to Dianna's bare legs.

Francine noticed the Doctor and his other companion standing a bit behind Martha.

"You disappeared last night." She accused.

"I...just went home." Her daughter was trying to sound truthful.

"On your own?" The mother was starting a solid interrogation for her daughter's sake. The way this girl was dressed – short dress and high heels – and the way she was behaving around them… And this man. He was older than Martha, but only of a few years. But there was something in his eyes.

"This is a friend of mine, the Doctor." explained the girl.

"Doctor what?" She inquired suspiciously.

"No, it's just the Doctor. We've been doing some work together."

"Yeah, all right." The Time Lord shook Leo's and Francine's hands. "Lovely to meet you, Mrs Jones. Heard a lot about you."

"Have you? What have you heard, then?" She asked.

"Oh, you know, that you're Martha's mother and…um…" He paused a moment, to realise he wasn't actually knowing more than that and felt a bit embarrassed. "No, actually, that's…that's about it. We haven't had much time to chat, you know, been busy." He continued without thinking.

"Busy? Doing what, exactly?" Francine inquired, sounding more and more suspicious about that man and the girl her daughter had come with.

"Oh…you know…stuff." He said, trying not to sink more into the mess he had created. Their conversation was cut short, much to the Doctor's relief, as there was a tapping on glass, a signal that an announcement was about to be made. The man from the television earlier, Professor Lazarus, started to talk.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am Professor Richard Lazarus and tonight I'm going to perform a miracle. It is, I believe, the most important advance since Rutherford split the atom, the biggest leap since Armstrong stood on the moon. Tonight, you will watch and wonder. Tomorrow, you'll awake to a world which will be changed forever."

The three travellers looked as he entered the cabinet. Two female technicians started the machinery from a bank of instruments behind it. There was a high-pitched whir, even worse than the sonic's sound, and a bright blue light as the four pillars began to spin individually, creating an energy field of some sort. They then began to rotate around the cabinet, going faster and faster. A warning klaxon went suddenly off.

The Time Lord frowned and muttered "Something's wrong. It's overloading."

The technicians tried to stop it, but some of the panels exploded, sending off sparks. He jumped over the low desk and aimed his sonic screwdriver at the controls. An old woman stared at him just like he was completely mad and shouted angrily. "Somebody stop him! Get him away from those controls!"

"If this thing goes off," He shouted back. "It'll take the whole building with it. Is that what you want?" He pulled one of the main wires that connected to the cabinet and it slowly stopped spinning. Martha ran to the door and the other two followed.

"Get it open!" He ordered and Dianna, who had been silent and almost invisible to them for the first half of the evening, did as she was told.

They watched as, through the smoke, Lazarus emerged looking 40 years younger. Photographers snapped away. The man touched his face, realizing it had worked. He stepped completely out and stood before his machine. "Ladies and gentlemen, I am Richard Lazarus. I am 76 years old and I am reborn!" He announced, holding his arms up in triumph as everyone clapped.

"He did it. He actually did it." muttered the old woman, staring in awe at him.

People were taking the opportunity to have their photograph taken with Lazarus. Martha and Dianna watched as the Doctor studied the machine.

"It can't be the same guy. It's impossible. It must be a trick." Martha suggested, bewildered.

"Oh, it's not a trick. I wish it were." sighed the alien, frowning in concern.

"What just happened, then?" she asked back.

"He just changed what it means to be human."

* * *

"I'm famished." grunted the Professor as the three travellers walked up behind him and the old woman.

"Energy deficit. Always happens with this kind of process." explained the Doctor, even though nobody had asked him his opinion.

"You speak as if you see this every day, Mr?" spoke back Lazarus.

The Doctor forced back a growl as he saw the new young man staring at the bare legs of the two girls. He answered with a slight snap.

"Doctor. And, well, no, not every day, but I have some experience in this kind of transformation."

"That's not possible." stated the Professor.

"Using hypersonic sound waves to create a state of resonance. That's—that's inspired."

"You understand the theory, then."

The two girls were standing on each side of the Doctor, Dianna engaged in a glare-off with the old woman.

"Enough to know that you couldn't possibly have allowed for all the variables." attacked the Time Lord. He himself was leading his own battle against Lazarus to prove his point. Because he knew better. Things like the machine weren't good.

"No experiment is entirely without risk."

"That thing nearly exploded. You might as well have stepped into a blender."

"You're not qualified to comment." snapped the lady besides the professor.

"If I hadn't stopped it, it would have exploded." clarified the man.

"Then I thank you, Doctor. But that's a simple engineering issue. What happened inside the capsule was exactly what was supposed to happen. No more, no less."

"You've no way of knowing that until you've run proper tests." engaged Martha, leaving Dianna mute by her side.

"Look at me!" laughed Lazarus. "You can see what happened. I'm all the proof you need."

"This device will be properly certified before we start to operate commercially." added the old woman.

"Commercially?! You are joking. That'll cause chaos." Martha gasped.

"Not chaos. Change. A chance for humanity to evolve, to improve."

"This isn't about improving. It's about you and your customers living a little longer." hissed The Doctor.

"Not a little longer, Doctor. A lot longer. Perhaps indefinitely."

This human was talking nonsense. He knew the burden of living indefinitely. He knew the pain of watching the beloved ones wither and die, and having to move on, again and again. He knew it.

"Richard, we have things to discuss. Upstairs." interrupted the woman he remembered as Lady Thaw.

"Goodbye, Doctor. In a few years, you'll look back and laugh at how wrong you were."

Lazarus reached out and took Martha's hand, kissing the back of it, did the same motion, with a longer kiss, on Dianna's before leaving.

"Ooh, he's out of his depth. No idea of the damage he might have done." sighed the alien.

"So what do we do now?" asked the Jones girl.

"Now…well, this building must be full of laboratories. I say we do our own tests."

Martha looked at her hand and smiled brightly.

"Lucky I've just collected a DNA sample then, isn't it?"

"Oh, Martha Jones, you're a star."

They headed off. The Doctor was feeling awkward about Dianna. The girl hadn't made a sound the whole evening and she was following without mouthing her thoughts. He had to admit he found her gorgeous tonight. Yes, gorgeous. But as always, something was a bit out of place about her. She quite didn't belong.

* * *

Martha, the Doctor and Dianna were in a lab looking at the results of the DNA test on a computer screen.

"Amazing." He beamed, staring at the picture with awe in his gaze.

"What?"

"Lazarus's DNA." He explained to the medical student.

"I can't see anything different." She stated.

"Look at it!"

The image on the screen flickered, leaving the young woman gaping, totally astonished by what had happened.

"Oh, my God! Did that just change? But it can't have!"

"But it did." the man said simply.

"Its impossible." she added, still in a confused state.

"And that's two impossible things we've seen tonight. Don't you love it when that happens?"

"That means Lazarus has changed his own molecular patterns." She continued, clearly not noticing his comment.

"Hypersonic sound waves to destabilize the cell structure then a mutagenic program to manipulate the coding in the protein strands. Basically, he hacked into his own genes and instructed them to rejuvenate." he explained.

"But they're still mutating now."

"'Cause he missed something. Something in his DNA has been activated and won't let him stabilize. Something that's trying to change him." His voice was dark and quite sinister. It meant bad. Really bad.

"Change him into what?"

"I dunno but I think we need to find out."

"That woman said they were going upstairs." They both looked at Dianna like they had forgotten she was there with them.

"Let's go!" He said.

* * *

The three travellers stepped out of the lift and into Lazarus's office. The Doctor turned on the lights.

"This is his office, all right." stated Martha.

"So, where is he?"

"Dunno. Let's try back at the re…ception." She continued before spotting a pair of skeletal bones, wearing high-heels, sticking out from behind the desk. They rushed over to see the desiccated remains of Lady Thaw.

"Is that Lady Thaw?"

"Used to be. Now it's just a shell. Had all the life energy drained out. Like squeezing the juice out of an orange." the man said, not noticing the wince of Martha's face as he made this comparison.

"Lazarus." muttered Dianna.

"Could be."

"So he's changed already." the other companion gasped.

"Not necessarily. You saw the DNA. It was fluctuating. The process must demand energy. This might not have been enough."

"So he might do this again?" she asked.

Her only answer was a hum from the Doctor and a horrified look on the amnesiac's face.

* * *

Martha, Dianna the Doctor arrived back at the reception, searching for Lazarus in the crowd.

"I can't see him."

"He can't be far. Keep looking." He said before walking on.

"Hey, you all right, Marth? I think Mum wants to talk to you." called Martha's brother, but the girl was too concerned to care.

"Have you see Lazarus anywhere?" she asked.

"Yeah. He was getting' cosy with Tish a couple of minutes ago."

Francine joined the group and the Time Lord came back from his research.

"With Tish?!" gasped the girl, fearing for her sister.

"Ah, Doctor." said the mother but the alien was completely oblivious to her, concerned about the girl who was now alone with a monster.

"Where did they go?"

"Upstairs I think, why?" answered Leo.

"Doctor" Francine tried again.

He rushed past, spilling her drink. Her eyes narrowed at him.

"I'm speaking to you!" she thundered but he didn't care and the only answer she get was from Martha.

"Not now, Mum!"

The group left, followed by her glare.

* * *

The Doctor, Martha and Dianna arrived back at Lazarus's office.

"Where are they?" asked the black girl, starting to panic a little bit.

The alien took out the sonic screwdriver.

"Fluctuating DNA will give off an energy signal. I might be able to pick it up."

He held it out at arm's length and slowly turned in a circle. Its beeping increased. A smile appeared on his face.

"Got him." he beamed.

"Where?'

The man ended up pointing his device to the ceiling.

"But this is the top floor!" She said before thinking a bit and finally realizing: "The roof!"

They ran for the stairs. Dianna was starting to damn herself for wearing high heels. Her feet were hurting and she didn't like the looks men were casting her during the evening. She followed her two companions, sighing slightly. What an idea to come here in first place... But the Doctor couldn't help his manic curiosity.

They arrived on the roof as the Professor was talking to Tish, dangerously close to her.

"I find that nothing's ever exactly like you expect. There's always something to surprise you. Between the idea and the reality, between the motion and the act-" He declaimed before the Doctor interrupted him.

"Falls the shadow." The Time Lord finished.

Lazarus turned to see the man and the two women, standing there. They all had warning looks.

"So the mysterious Doctor knows his Eliot. I'm impressed."

"Martha, what are you doing here?" snapped the girl's sister.

"Tish, get away from him." She warned.

"What? Don't tell me what to do."

She continued to try to talk Tish in her right mind.

"I wouldn't have thought you had time for poetry, Lazarus, what with you being busy defying the laws of nature and all." said the Doctor.

"You're right, Doctor. One lifetime's been too short for me to do everything I'd like. How much more would I get done in two or three or four?"

"Doesn't work like that." snapped Dianna, who had been silent until that. She was starting to think this man was mad. "Some people live more in 20 years than others do in 80. It's not the time that matters; it's the person." She was speaking with a real conviction in her voice.

"But if it's the right person, what a gift that would be." answered the mutant back.

"Or what a curse. Look at what you've done to yourself." added the alien.

"Who are you, both of you to judge me?" growled Lazarus.

Martha and Tish had started arguing violently. But behind the head of PR, her boss was having a sort of attack, and he was slowly changing into a horrifying beast.

"Tish, he's a monster!" She cried, fearing for her life.

"I know the age thing's a bit freaky, but it works for Catherine Zeta-Jones." The other snapped. But at the sound of growling, she slowly turned her head and saw him as he really was for the first time. He looked a cross between a human skeleton and a scorpion. She gasped for air, as he roared fiercely.

"Run!" shouted the Doctor and they raced inside as quickly as they could. The Time Lord soniced the door, sealing it in a few seconds that seemed lasting hours for the three other girls.

Martha pressed the call button of the lift and turned to her sister, concern readable in her gaze.

"Are you okay?"

"I was gonna snog him." said the girl, disgusted and horrified.

Lazarus banged on the door, alerting the buildings automatic security. Sirens began to go off and a computerised warning came over the PA.

"Security breach. Security breach. Security beach."

They looked all around them, eyes wide open, panicking.

"What's happening?" squealed Martha.

"Uh, an intrusion. It triggers a security lockdown. Kills most of the power. Stops the lifts. Seals the exits." explained Tish who looked startled and terrified.

"He must be breaking through that door. The stairs, come on!" shouted the Doctor.

"Good Lord!" cried Dianna, as she kicked off her heels and took them in her hands to manage her way down more safely.

As they ran down the stairs, they heard the door crash open. He was inside.

"Haven't got much time!"

Martha, the Doctor, Dianna and Tish returned to the reception. They began to turn in the room like lions in cage, earning looks from the guests.

"Tish! Is there another way out of here?" the man shouted to the girl who was at the other end of the room.

"There's an exit in the corner, but it'll be locked now."

The Time Lord tossed the sonic screwdriver to Martha.

"Martha, setting 54. Hurry."

She rushed off followed by Tish. He jumped on the platform in front of Lazarus's machine. Taking a deep breath, he started to shout at the audience, warning them.

"Listen to me! Your people are in serious danger! You need to get out of here right now!"

"Don't be ridiculous. The biggest danger here is choking on an olive." said a woman, in a contemptuous way.

There was a sudden noise of shattered glass and the monster appeared on the landing above before leaping down to the reception floor. The two sisters raced to open the door as everyone ran for the exits. Dianna didn't know where to go or what to do. She sensed her place was in there but she was aimless. Then, she heard the brother of her best friend shouting something and she saw him getting hit by a table the mutant had sent flying. She rushed to his side and put his head on his lap, starting to check in instinctive gestures for problems. Francine Jones arrived and glared at the girl who was, at her eyes, slowly caressing her son's forehead in the middle of this mess. They heard a few screams, Martha guiding the guests out, a woman getting sucked dry by Lazarus and the Doctor shouting to warn them as the monster turned towards them and approached, the three delicious humans there. Dianna started to think she was going to die, right now and suddenly... all went black.

"Lazarus! Leave them alone!" yelled The Doctor in anger. He turned to check if Martha's family and his companion were all right and then, he saw her. Light-girl had returned. She made the scorpion-like thing squeak in pain when she touched him, her eyes now golden and blinding. Martha came to take her mother and brother to safety. She had just the time to jump forward and receive her friend in her arms as Dianna fainted.

"What's the point if you can't control it?" asked the Doctor, staying alone with the beast as the four others were escaping the room. "The mutation's too strong. Killing those people won't help you. You're a fool, a vain old man who thought he could defy Nature. Only Nature got her own back, didn't she? You're a joke, Lazarus! A footnote in the history of failure!" He ran away from the hall and up through the hallways, Lazarus following.

* * *

Martha was examining Leo, just outside the room. Her sister was panicking and squealing and almost crying and Dianna wasn't awake.

"What's the Doctor doing?" asked Tish.

"He's trying to buy us some time. Let's not waste it. Leo, look at me. Let me see your eyes." She turned to her mother. "He's got concussion. You'll need to help him downstairs."

"And her too, I presume?" snapped Francine.

"Look, Mum. Dianna is my friend. We're not leaving her in there."

Martha went to an ice bucket and put some ice in a napkin, which she then gave to the woman.

"This'll keep the swelling down. Go! I'll be right behind you! Tish, move! We need to get out of here!" She then turned to the girl who was lying on the floor. "Sorry darling." She muttered. And she slapped her. The amnesiac opened her eyes violently and gasped for air as Martha was now sitting on top of her. "What are you doing here, Martha?!" she belted. "Saving your life, Di. Stand up and move." They both ran, but were stopped short, the doors locked.

"We can't get out! We're trapped!" they heard Tish shouting.

"There must be an override switch. Where's the security desk?" asked the sister.

"Right there." answered the brunette first. Martha ran to the desk and slid over the top to check the panel layout before using the sonic screwdriver. The power came back on, the doors opened and everyone escaped. The two girls hugged and ran down the stairway to the outside where Francine and Tish were waiting. The medical student made sure her brother and other injured were taking care of. She needed to go back. Dianna was waiting near of her, her shoes still in her hand as she was arguing with her mother.

"I've got to go back." the girl explained.

"You can't! You saw what that thing did. It'll kill you."

"I don't care. I have to go. We have to go." she added, seeking help from her friend.

"It's that Doctor and that Dianna Stoker, isn't it? That's what's happened to you. That's why you've changed." sneered the woman to her daughter.

"He was buying us time, Martha. Time for you to get out, too." tried Tish and the girl looked at her in a way that was clearly saying 'not you too'.

"I'm not leaving him." She stated firmly.

"Martha!" shouted the mother angrily.

She ran back up the stairs, re-joining the other companion. Tish took Francine's hand and pulled her outside. They watched their daughter and sister disappearing inside the building holding her friend's hand. The two girls were running down a corridor. They heard a crash, and heading the way they had felt the sound was coming, they ran into the Doctor at the corner.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I'm returning this." Martha held out the sonic screwdriver. "I thought you might need it." she smiled.

"How did you-?" he was startled they had found him.

"We heard the explosion. Guessed it was you." joked Dianna.

"I blasted Lazarus." he just remarked.

"Did you kill him?"

But the monster came crashing down the hall. "More sort of annoyed him, I'd say."

"Doctor, I hate you!" cried the brunette as they were back racing down the corridor.

"Me too!" He laughed and took his new companion's hand.

* * *

The Doctor, Dianna (still holding hands with him) and Martha were back in the reception room.

"What now? We've just gone 'round in a circle!" reported the black girl.

Lazarus burst in and the man headed for the transformation device.

"We can't lead him outside. Come on, get in." he spoke.

They all hid in it. Dianna could feel the Time Lord's hearts pounding in his chest as they were pressed against each other. She felt also Martha behind her but what was the most disturbing was the man's body so near hers.

"Are we hiding?" asked the feminine voice. She almost sighed at the stupidity of the question but he answered.

"No, he knows we're here. But this is his masterpiece. I'm betting he won't destroy it, not even to get at us."

"But we're trapped!" The amnesiac sighed really this time.

The Doctor felt the brush of the air she had expulsed against his neck and swallowed. A soft chuckle escaped her this time. This was definitely a bad idea. He was embarrassed and slowly starting to blush to feel her female body against his. She was thin, soft and curvy... He had to stop that.

"Well, yeah, that's a slight problem." He spoke in a weird tone.

She felt him shaking his head as his chin brushed against her hair.

"You mean you don't have a plan?" continued Martha.

"Yes, the plan was to get inside here!" he said reluctantly.

"Then what?"

"Well…then he'd come up with another plan." sighed Dianna.

"In your own time, then."

The Doctor inhaled deeply. Bad idea again. He was reducing their space and she was even more pressed against him. He now had her smell in his nose. She smelled good. Bitter almond, Jasmin, vanilla and musk. Addictive. He again shook his head before trying to reach into his pocket.

She felt his hand sliding between their two bodies, up his torso to the opening of his jacket against her chest. He moved his arm, having a hard time reaching for the sonic in the tight quarters. He looked down and as the exact same moment, Dianna was happening to looking up. Their eyes crossed and she felt the soft contact of his lips against hers. She widened her eyes and turned her head suddenly.

"Hey!" cried out Martha behind her.

"Sorry." she muttered.

"Sorry, sorry." continued the Doctor. He finally pulled out the sonic from his pocket. "Here we are."

"What're you gonna do with that?" the girl asked.

"Improvise." he whispered to her hear.

He took a deep breath again and slid down slowly to the floor, along his companion's bare legs. He popped open a panel.

"I still don't understand where that thing came from. Is it alien?" tried Dianna, trying to disturb his attention.

"No, for once it's strictly human in origin." he explained.

He used the sonic screwdriver on the wires attached to the panel.

"Human? How can it be human?" gasped Martha.

"Probably from dormant genes in Lazarus's DNA. The energy field in this thing must have reactivated them. And it looks like they're becoming dominant."

"So it's a throwback."

"Some option that evolution rejected for you millions of years ago, but the potential is still there. Locked away in your genes, forgotten about until Lazarus unlocked it by mistake." he said as it was simple, continuing to work on the wires.

"It's like Pandora's box."

"Exactly. Nice shoes, by the way." He smiled. "And nice absence of shoes for you Dianna. I didn't know you had tatoos."

He had in front of him, inked to her ankle, the shape of a star. She blushed and sketched a move but stopped her motion before knocking the man in the face.

Suddenly a blue light filled the capsule.

"Doctor, what's happening?" inquired the black girl.

"Sounds like he's switched the machine on." answered the amnesiac instead of him.

"That's not good, is it?"

"Well, I was hoping it was gonna take him a little bit longer to work that out." sighed the alien.

The machine began to spin. They could feel it, even being inside it.

"I don't want to hurry you, but" started the girl, thinking at her family and her injured brother outside the building.

"I know, I know. Nearly done." He mumbled.

"What're you doin'?"

"Trying to set the capsule to reflect energy rather than receive it." His answer absolutely didn't help Martha.

"Will that kill him? »

"When he transforms, he's three times his size—cellular triplication—so he's spreading himself thin." he explained.

"We're gonna end up like him!" squealed the girl.

"Just one more!" He shouted, pulling a wire.

The Doctor opened the door and stepped out, his companions right behind him. Dianna was relieved to finally be out of this cabinet. It had been clearly embarrasing to be pressed against each other like that. And that mini-kiss...

"I thought we were gonna go through the blender then." sighed the other girl.

"Really shouldn't take that long just to reverse the polarity. I must be a bit out of practice." muttered the Time Lord.

"The important point is that you get us out of here, Doctor-man." the brunette said kindly.

He looked at her and smiled. She did it back. They both turned to Lazarus. He was lying in human form, naked, on the floor.

"Oh God. He seems so…human again. It's kind of pitiful." spoke Martha, summing up the general thought.

"Eliot saw that, too. 'This is the way the world ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper.'" quoted the man. They exited the building after a few more seconds of mute observation.

* * *

Medical services came to take the body, carrying it out on a gurney in a bag. Dianna and the Doctor watched from the steps, Martha sitting at their feet. They were kind of sad to see the body go. Lazarus was certainly a monster. But he was also a genius.

"She's here." They heard a familiar voice saying. "Oh, she's all right." Tish approached and hugged her sister.

Francine was following and the man turned to greet her. "Ah, Mrs Jones, we still haven't finished out chat."

She looked at him like he was completely mad, with a terrible anger in her gaze. And she slapped him across the face, leaving a red mark behind her. They were all startled.

"Keep away from my daughter." she hissed.

"Mum, what are you doing?" asked the young medical student.

The Doctor put his hand on his cheek. His other companion reached him and inquired of his state before letting out a giggle when she heard him mutter: "All their mothers, every time."

"He is dangerous! I've been told things." She fumed.

"What are you talking about?" Martha didn't understand a single word of what her mother was saying. Francine took her daughter by the shoulders.

"Look around you! Nothing but death and destruction!" she exclaimed.

"This isn't his fault. He saved us, all of us!" said the amnesiac, stepping in the conversation.

"And this girl... Who is she? Do you really know her?" she continued.

"Mum?"

"Listen to me, Martha. Did he pay her? For whatever the three of you did together last night?"

"What are you insinuating?" snapped Dianna, walking towards Mrs Jones with an angry look.

"I'm saying you're a whore."

"What?!" she roared.

"You've seen yourself? Short skirt and high heels and hugging and acting all seductively? Do you seriously think you're luring someone in here?" She shouted.

"Mum, stop that! Dianna is my friend. She's... She's a nurse at the hospital. I met her my first day in there when I started with Mr Stoker!" invented Martha.

"Yes, of course the flirtatious nurse every man in the hospital has shagged once or twice in the corner cupboard!"

"Mrs Jones, I'm warning you. This is going off limits." growled the girl.

"Because you have limits? I think you did whatever somebody asked you to do."

"It's too far." she sneered. She turned back and stepped back to where the Doctor was standing. He quickly gave her the key to the TARDIS and she walked away, head low and her whole body agitated with sobs. They heard her steps for a few seconds before she disappeared at the corner of the street.

There was a crash and the Time Lord looked at Martha before running off in the direction his other companion had taken, the direction where the sound was coming from. She went to follow but Francine held her back.

"Leave him." She demanded.

But the girl shook her head and ran after the Doctor. They raced down the street where they saw the ambulance, the doors opened and the medics merely husked.

"Lazarus, back from the dead. Should've known, really." muttered the man. He was concerned. He could see no traces of Dianna. He took out the sonic screwdriver and searched for Lazarus like he had done earlier.

"Where's he gone?"

"That way. The church." he indicated.

"And her?" The girl looked around them. "Where is she?"

"Well... She has to be with him." he gulped.

They rushed round the blocks to the church.

Inside the building they proceeded up the nave, the Doctor in front with the sonic screwdriver held out in front of him.

"Do you think they're in here?" Martha inquired.

"Where would you go if you were looking for sanctuary?"

They moved forward through the empty church to the open space behind the altar and underneath the bell tower. Lazarus was sitting there gasping, a red blanket from the ambulance wrapped about him, holding in his arms a terrified and sobbing Dianna.

"I came here before. A lifetime ago." He started, making her shiver by stoking her dark hair. "I thought I was going to die then. In fact, I was sure of it. I sat there, just a child…the sound of planes and bombs outside."

"The Blitz." spoke the Time Lord.

"You've read about it."

"I was there." He simply stated, looking more concern about the girl trembling in the monster's arms than by the conversation they were having.

"You're too young." He scoffed.

"So are you."

Lazarus laughed but it soon turned to gasps of pain as he fought the mutation.

"In the morning, the fires had died, and I was still alive. I swore I'd never face death like that again."

The Doctor walked around him slowly, looking up at the bell tower and keeping an eye on the brunette. Martha watched, knowing he was planning something. She knew the words of her mother had deeply hurt Dianna. It would had done the same with everyone.

"So defenceless. I would arm myself, fight back, defeat it." continued the mutant.

"That's what you were trying to do today."

"That's what I did today." He corrected.

"What about the other people who died?"

"They were nothing. I changed the course of history."

"Any of them might have done, too. You think history's only made with equations? Facing death is part of being human. You can't change that." said the Doctor.

"No, Doctor. Avoiding death. That's being human. It's our strongest impulse, to cling to life with every fibre of being. I'm doing what everyone before me has tried to do. I've simply been more…successful." he seemed proud of himself but it quickly changed in pain as his body tried to change.

"Look at yourself! You're mutating! You've no control over it! You call that a success?" The man looked at the girl sobbing uncontrollably just there.

"I call it progress. I'm more now that I was. More than just an ordinary human."

"There's no such thing as an ordinary human."

"He's gonna change again at any minute." whispered Martha to him.

"I know. If I can get him up into the bell tower somehow, I've an idea that might work." he replied in the same way.

"Up there?" She asked, and he nodded

"You're so sentimental, Doctor. Maybe you are older than you look." added the professor, still holding Dianna.

"I'm old enough to know that a longer life isn't always a better one. In the end, you just get tired. Tired of the struggle. Tired of losing everyone that matters to you. Tired of watching everything turn to dust. If you live long enough, Lazarus, the only certainty left is that you end up alone." He squatted besides the man, looking right into his eyes.

The brunette was watching him. He was... brilliant. It sounded so true, this all sentence.

"That's a price worth paying.

"Is it?" He asked, and his voice was sad, weary.

She gasped when the arm of the mutant tightened around her, changing.

"I will feed soon." He muttered and she shivered at that.

"I'm not gonna let that happen."

"You've not been able to stop me so far."

"Leave him, Lazarus!" Martha barked. "He's old and bitter. Thought you had a taste for fresher meat."

"Martha, no."

"I can still use her." He indicated the girl in his arms in a threatening way

"If you lay one finger on her, I swear you won't end up living." growled the Doctor.

Lazarus snarled and suddenly, turned to chase after Martha.

"What are you doing?" the Time Lord asked.

"You didn't say anything about this one!" he roared.

"Doctor! The tower!"

Dianna succeeded to free herself and she followed Martha who ran up the narrow spiral staircase that led to the upper level. Lazarus followed them and began screaming.

"Did you hear that?" gasped the girl, a little bit traumatized.

"He's changed again. We've got to lead him up."

They kept racing in the staircase and they heard the Doctor calling for them from below. "Martha? Dianna?" The black girl peered out of one of the archways and called back "Doctor!"

"Take him to the top, the very top of the bell tower, d'you hear me?!"

They heard him and continued to the top. It was a circular walkway with wooden rails. Even if it sounded like they were trapped, both companions believed in the Time Lord. They knew it was going to be ok. But even knowing that fact, they couldn't help the fear from rushing through their veins and screaming them to run again. So, Dianna couldn't help but scream in fear when the monster finally appeared, saliva dripping from his mouth. She closed her eyes and fainted. But this time, no light appeared in her eyes. She just lost consciousness.

* * *

"She's going to be okay, right?"

"She just needs to sleep. It's been a rough day for all of us."

"She was hurt."

"By who?"

"My mother. But you know she's very attractive to men I think. And the way my brother, Lazarus and a lot of men in the reception looked at her."

"Every man looks at a beautiful woman in a certain way."

"You too."

"It's different for me. I'm not human."

She heard their voices in a mix between dream and reality, all blurred, but she knew who they were. Martha and the Doctor. Where was she? Her eyelashes fluttered, opening them with difficulty. They beamed at her and she had a little smile. She was in her room. The only place where she felt good.

"How do you feel?" He asked and the motion of his lips reminded her of their 'kiss' earlier. She blushed.

"Good. Thank you."

"All right." He was a bit embarrassed too. He had just admitted she was beautiful and she might had been awake when he did that. Yes, she was pretty, with her long black hair, her pale skin and her so particular hazy eyes. And tonight... She was wearing that short icy blue dress and those heels with the make-up and all... Yes, he had been struck by the way she looked. But every other man too. So it wasn't so... embarrassing. How could it be? It didn't have feelings for her. She was another mystery to solve. Just a mystery. "You need to rest. If you want something just shout. We'll be there." He smiled and exited the room, pausing some time at the door frame. She then saw he was still wearing this suit with the bowtie undone. He looked gorgeous. He opened and closed his mouth as if he wanted to say something but couldn't remember what.

"You've been fantastic." whispered Martha to her ear. "I'm happy I have a best friend like you."

They closed the door behind them. Dianna let herself drift into sleep. She felt warm. She felt good.


End file.
